Lifeless
by tashaxxx
Summary: A case of mistaken identity leads to disaster for one of the Whitechapel team Last chapter now up !
1. Chapter 1

**My first Whitechapel fic so hope you enjoy. **

**Set after the last episode of series 4 **

Emerson Kent collapsed on the sofa in the three bedroom flat he shared with his flat mates. The TV was playing in the background, meaning at least one other person was in the flat. Kent sighed, trying to think what had gone so wrong. They'd been taken into police custody all of them arrested and alive. Now they were all dead. Kent was starting to think that they were cursed. There was no way that one unit could never manage to arrest their suspects alive.

"What's up, Em?" Tom Andrews asked, jumping onto the sofa next to Kent. The two had been friends since college and had naturally bought a flat together when they both decided to come to Whitechapel. Tom worked at one of Whitechapel's local papers.

"Nothing." Emerson shook Tom's concerned tone off, blanking out the job they'd just done. No point letting the job affect home life. "What's for tea?" Tom frowned before motioning to the kitchen.

"Not my turn to cook." Kent sighed, it never seemed to be.

"Isn't it Lewis', where is he anyway?" Lewis was someone Tom had met at work, they'd become friends after he'd written an article on one of Lewis' art jobs.

"Out somewhere, probably hookin' up with some girl." Emerson couldn't help but grin at that. It was so typical of his other flat-mate. "Anyway, I'm not staying in again tonight. Fancy goin' out on the town."

"I'm good thanks." He had work tomorrow and he really didn't want a hangover.

"You're getting boring Em, need to loosen up a bit." Kent knew exactly what Tom meant by that but he just didn't want to.

"You go out; I'll order take-out or something." Shrugging Tom grabbed his coat and walked out of the flat. Sighing, Emerson Kent let the silence wash over him. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered sharing a flat. It wasn't like he didn't like his friends it was more they were so different to him. Tom was always going out partying; Lewis brought a new girl over nearly every week. Whereas Kent just wanted things to be quiet. It wasn't like he wouldn't go out it's just he didn't like going that much.

**LINE BREAK**

He must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he remembered was the flat door opening. "Lewis! Tom!" Kent called out, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Come on guys. This isn't funny." Kent shouted again. Something wasn't quite right. Everything was too quiet. There was no way his flat-mates could make this little noise.

"Guys?" Kent knew his voice was a little shaky but he couldn't help it. Kent just didn't do confrontation all that well, sure he put a front on at work but he had to, it was part of his job.

It was the creak of the floor board that alerted Kent to the figure standing behind him. He didn't get a chance to say anything before he was knocked in the head by a heavy object. Falling sideways, Kent let out a small groan as a pair of heavy boots kicked him in the stomach. Wrapping his hand around his stomach he felt another boot hit him on the back. This time a cry of pain escaped him but it was quickly cut off by another kick that knocked the air out of him. Kent heard a voice say something but all he could hear was the pounding of blood in his ears as kick after kick rained down on him. It went on like this for a while, Kent wasn't sure how long all he really noticed was the constant pain and the feelin that he couldn't breathe.

Finally the beating seemed to stop but Kent didn't dare move, in case it set them off again. A hand grabbed a fist full of his hair, pulling him to wobbling feet with a grunt. Kent groaned in pain as he felt his feet about to give way but he was held in place.

"I want my money, Tom." The voice growled in Kent's face. Shit, Kent thought, the guy thought he was Tom. "If I don't get it, you'll get worse." With that the hand in his hair let go, letting Kent fall back to the floor. The man must have said something because the next thing Kent knew the kicking was back.

This time he was sure he heard a crack. Coughing, Kent tried to move but each time a steel toed kick hit him once more. When they stopped a second time, Kent rolled onto his side coughing and gasping for breath. He felt like was going to be sick as he struggled to get air into his abused body. "One week." The voice growled before one last kick to the back of the head sent Kent over the edge and into darkness.

**LINE BREAK**

DI Chandler sat at his desk sorting pile of pins. He was stressed. How could this have happened? They'd had them. They were in police custody on their way to prison. Chandler couldn't help but think if he'd opened that letter sooner they wouldn't have all died. Bad luck just didn't cut it.

"Drink this." DS Miles said, pouring a glass of whiskey. "Had to go to the shop to get this so ya better be grateful." Chandler didn't reply, instead taking the glass from his sergeant's outstretched hand.

"Shouldn't you be at home." Mile shrugged in answer.

"Someone's gotta make sure ya get home. This jobs turning into a full time thing with you." Miles grinned but Joe just didn't feel like laughing.

"I don't understand it."

"None of us do, but there's no point moping about. What's done is done." Miles replied, taking the bottle and pouring himself another glass.

They sat in silence for a while until the whiskey bottle was nearly half gone. Chandler's phone ringing brought them back to reality. "DI Chandler."

Miles sat in silence while Chandler talked on the phone. "There's been an attempted murder." Chandler said, standing at the same time Miles did. Grabbing their coats, they headed out to the car.

**LINE BREAK**

"Where've you been?" Lewis asked as Tom stumbled up to the front door of the flat. Tome just shrugged, stumbling to get his keys out.

"No woman tonight?"

"Thought I'd give Em a break, think he's sick of all the women." Lewis grinned taking out his own keys.

"He's to stuck up. Doesn't know how to have fun anymore." Tom grumbled, walking into the flat and starting to climb the stairs.

"Just cos he doesn't like your type of fun. I mean if you'd done to me what you did to him I wouldn't wanna go out either." Lewis stated matter-of-factly to Tom. The other man stopped dead on his tracks. They never talked about what happened it was just an unspoken rule.

"It was a bit of harmless fun."

"To you maybe, Tom." Lewis replied, pushing his way past and up the stairs.

They reached the top of the stairs at the same time. "Shit." Tome whispered. The door was wide open. It didn't look like it was broken but how would they know.

"Emerson?" Lewis called into the pitch black flat. When there was no reply he edged forwards.

"What are you doing?" Tome grabbed Lewis' arm.

"Em didn't go out."

"He's the police, he'll be fine." Lewis shook his friends arm off, walking further into the flat.

Tom followed nervously behind. "Bloody hell." Tom swore as he saw what was lying on the floor. Emerson was lying there, a pool of blood building around his head. Pale and limp, almost lifeless.

"Tom, call and ambulance. " Lewis said, falling down next to the dead-like form of Emerson Kent.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews, didn't expect to get so many. Hope I've got all the characters attitudes properly written but if there's anything wrong with them please tell me so I can improve it later on. **

The team were standing outside of the 3 storey building as DI Chandler's car pulled up next to it. "Any of you heard from Kent?" Miles asked them as he exited the car. Finley and Meg both shook their heads.

"Haven't seen him since we got the call." Meg told them.

"Right, well see if you can't contact him." Turning to Finley he continued talking. "The boys, who called it in, take a statement."

"That might be a little difficult." Finley said a little sheepishly.

"Why?" Miles sent the DC a glare.

"Paramedics say one ran for it when they got 'ere and the other wasn't in much state to talk." DI Chandler reached for the band on his wrist, only forgetting it had snapped when he felt nothing. "Right, see if you can't track the one that ran down." Sighing, he walked away from the team and headed up the steps. He hadn't realised the Miles had followed until he started to talk.

"Seems a bit suspicious, we'll need to find the kid that ran. Should be a simple open and shut case."

"If we find out who they were. Does anyone else know them?" Miles considered the question for a moment before answering.

"The lady who owns the place is on holiday for a week and the other tenants don't know their names only that they're a little noisy."

"They're students of course their noisy…They are students aren't they?"

"Apparently. Like I said no one really knows and 'til the owner comes back we won't get any names."

"We'll head down to the hospital once we're done here."

Entering the flat the first thing Chandler noticed was the mess. The flat had obviously been cleaned out; either that or the owners didn't understand general tidiness. Paint pots and paper had been flung everywhere; the coffee table was on its side while the sink was full of dirty pots. An empty take-away box lay on its side by a remote control. The TV was nowhere to be seen. "Robbery?" Miles shrugged.

"Possible." Chandler nodded, continuing looking around the flat. The first bedroom was piled high with paint pots and unfinished canvas'. The second was full of paper and a desk which presumably had once held a computer. The third was considerably cleaner though definitely not to his own standards.

Miles opened one of the drawers. "Warrant card."

"So…we've got an artist, a policeman and possibly a student?" Chandler summed up as Miles opened the warrant card up. When the DS didn't answer Chandler looked up in expectation. "What's wrong?"

"I think I found Kent." Miles answered, solemnly opening the young DC's warrant card.

**LINE BREAK**

Lewis was pacing back and forwards as he waited for news on his friend. His mind was reeling after what had happened. How could this have happened and why the hell did Tom run? He'd just up and left them both as soon as he saw the paramedics arriving not saying anything except a mumbled apology. What good was an apology when Emerson was lying nearly dead?

The doctors wouldn't tell him anything while the nurses just kept looking at him sympathetically. Lewis just couldn't understand how his night had turned so bad. He'd only been out a few hours, working late at the gallery, not that he'd ever admit that. Tom was meant to have stayed the night so Em didn't have to spend the night at the flat alone. Again. Now all he could see in his head was Emerson lying on the floor, pale with blood pooling around him. He felt sick just thinking about it.

"Excuse me?" A tallish man walked up to him. He was dressed impeccably in an obviously tailored suit and tie. Another man was stood next to him, a lot older than the first what with the greying hair.

Lewis looked up at them, not sure what to say. He must look like an absolute idiot. "Di Chandler." The man pointed to himself. "DS Miles." He then pointed to the other man. Frowning, Lewis tried to think were he'd heard those names before.

"We work with DC Kent." Miles tone was impatient. Shit, was the first thing that came into Lewis' head.

"What's your name?" Di Chandler's tone was more patient though it held an edge to it.

"Lewis Brooklyn. I live with Em."

"And the other one. The one that ran." Lewis hesitated for a moment.

"Did he do it?" Miles snapped.

"What…now. Tom and Em are good friends."

"Why'd he run then?" Lewis shook his head. "You don't know." Chandler knew he should try being gentler but it was obvious to him Lewis was hiding something.

"He just did. I'll talk to him." Lewis looked at the two officers before continuing. "He didn't do it. Tom was out all night, he couldn't have done it."

"We'll be the judge of that." Miles replied, before turning away from the other man and heading to a nurse who was walking through the waiting room.

"Excuse me, I'm DS Miles and we're looking for a DC Kent." Miles showed the woman his warrant card.

"I'll check for you." Miles said thanks before heading back to where the DI was still questioning Lewis.

"You should get home, kid." Chandler looked unbelievably back to Miles who just shrugged. The state of Lewis told him he wasn't the attacker.

"No, I need to stay. Make sure Em's gonna be alright." Miles nodded in understanding, taking a seat.

"I'll notify the others." Chandler muttered, taking out his phone and heading out of the waiting room.

The two men sat in silence, not really sure how to talk to one another. Finally Miles couldn't take the silence any longer. "You're close then." Lewis looked up in surprise before nodding.

"Yeah." Lewis's head was reeling but he felt he needed to make his point to the DS sat next to him. "Look, it wasn't Tom who attacked Emerson. He'll tell you that much when he wakes up."

The door opened at that moment, bringing both the doctor and DI Chandler through the door.

**LINE BREAK**

Tom walked as ran as fast as he could. Seeing Emerson like that was just horrible. All the blood the paleness of his best friend. It made him feel physically sick. He shouldn't have gone out that night. If he hadn't Em might be alright. All his fault and now he'd left Lewis to deal with it.

Collapsing onto the ground, Tom let out a hysterical laugh earning him a few odd looks. Tears were making themselves known but he rubbed them away. Anger was starting to fill him. It was his fault. Standing up he started to punch the wall in frustration. All his fault.

"Oi." Someone shouted at him. Tom didn't stop though, still so angry with himself. He didn't care when they knocked him to ground and cuffed him.

**LINE BREAK**

"I found 'im." Finley eagerly said as Meg walked towards him. As she walked further into the light, Finley notice the look of complete shock on her face. "What's up?"

"It was Emerson. Emerson was the one that got attacked."

Finley wasn't sure what to say to that. He and Kent were just starting to get along again after the incident with Erica and now this. "Is he alright?"

"He's in surgery." Meg breathed out.

"Shit." Finley could feel anger boiling through him. Kent was part of the team and Finley thought of him as a friend, just like the rest of the team. "We'll get the bastard that did this to him." He stated as he turned to the car, letting Meg follow him.


	3. Chapter 3

DI Chandler and DS Miles had left as soon as they'd found out if Kent was alright. They'd had some sort of phone call and Lewis couldn't help but wonder if they'd found Tom. Right now he couldn't help but wish he was the one who ran instead.

Emerson was lying on the white hospital bed hooked up to a multitude of machines. The doctors had told him what they were doing when he explained Kent's injuries but Lewis had blocked them out. To be honest he really didn't want to know. Looking at his friend's fragile and pale form on the bed was confirmation enough for Lewis to know the injuries were serious. He didn't need to horrid details.

"You should get some sleep, honey." A nurse told him as she injected some clear liquid into the IV line, maybe it was morphine.

"Is he in pain?"

The nurse looked at him sympathetically, "No, he'll be just fine." Lewis watched her walk away. He was tired but it just didn't feel right leaving his friend in this state.

**LINE BREAK**

"Is he alright?" Meg asked as soon as the two superior officers walked into the office. Chandler couldn't help but be surprised that both Meg and Mansell were sitting at their desks poring over paper and what he guessed was CTV footage.

"It's only cause Kent's art of the team." Chandler nodded at Miles' assessment just as Ed Buchan walked into the office carrying mugs of coffee.

"I was already here, reading the files in the archive." Miles snorted at the statement though it didn't' surprise any of them.

"So…" Meg prompted once more. As the team turned to face Di Chandler he found he wasn't sure what it was he should say. Seeing the DI's uncomfort, Miles started to talk.

"Well, the Doc was vague, kept talking about needing to do scans."

"Scans?" Mansell asked.

"Yeah, those bastards kicked him real good in the head; the doc said it's pretty normal." Chandler knew that wasn't what the doctor had said but he understood why Miles wouldn't want to tell the team.

"At least we've gotten the person who did this." Meg told them.

"Unless he's ready to confess we won't be able to charge him, too much uncertainty." Chandler knew it wasn't something any of them wanted to hear but it was the truth.

"Why would he run if he wasn't guilty?" Mansell asked, getting only shrugs in return.

"We'll know for certain once Kent wakes up but right now you should all go home, get some sleep so we're ready to start properly tomorrow." With that Chandler walked into his office, feeling the beginnings of his OCD starting up again.

**LINE BREAK**

The next morning Chandler and Miles were sat in the interview room opposite Tom Andrews. He was nervously fidgeting with his sleeve when they came into the room. "Where's Em? Is he alright?" He asked as soon as they sat down.

"Why? You feelin' guilty about what you did?" Tom shook his head at Miles.

"I didn't hurt him. Why would I?"

"Maybe you could tell us that." Chandler told him, getting only Tom shaking his head in reply.

"I wouldn't hurt Em, we live together." Miles started to pull out paper from the file on the desk.

"What did he do? Steal your girlfriend. That why you did it?"

Tom shook his head at the DS. "I was out all night."

"Doing what?" Chandler asked him with a serious tone.

"I was out at a club."

"Which one?"

"I don't remember." Miles gave him a disbelieving look.

"Would you like me to tell you what injuries DC Kent has?" Tom knew Em worked with the police knew who it was he worked with but he'd never met them until now. Nervously, Tom nodded his head. "Multiple broken ribs. Bruised Spine. Possible swelling of the brain." Tom flinched each time Miles paused.

"DC Kent could still die because of this attack." DI Chandler gave Tom a look that made him sink further into his seat. "Now where were you yesterday night and why did you run?"

"I don't know."

"What?" Miles' was starting to really hate this kid.

"I can't remember."

"Why?" Chandler asked him.

"I was drunk." That was only partly true but he couldn't well tell them the whole truth. A loud sigh came from DS Miles just as a knock on the door came.

"Sir." Mansell said into the interview. Tom didn't pay any attention as the DI cancelled the tape recording and walked out of the room with the DS. They'd said Emerson could die. And they thought he'd done it.

"What is it Mansell?" Chandler asked in an exasperating tone. He just couldn't understand how someone who claimed to be Kent's friend could be so cagy about answering a few questions.

"Kent's awake."

**LINE BREAK**

Meg sat on one of the hard hospital chairs watching Kent sleep. She'd sent Lewis home nearly an hour ago. The poor kid looked like shit. Not much better than Emerson does, she thought to herself. He hadn't moved since she'd first come here and Meg was starting to worry. The Doctors kept talking about a possible coma if he didn't wake up soon. They'd stopped giving him so much morphine, trying to bring him round but nothing seemed to be working.

She should be at work right now, Meg knew that, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Emerson on his own. Mansell had said Erica was away visiting their parents, while Lewis couldn't stay here all the time. Kent needed someone to be there, even if he wasn't waking up.

As she sat, listening to the beeping of the machines, Meg considered the kid they'd brought in last night. Tom Andrews. One of Emerson's flat mates and their prime suspect. Meg didn't want to believe that Emerson's friend could attack him but in this job she'd seen too much to rule it out completely.

Sighing to herself, she grabbed one of Kent's hands, marvelling at how small the DC looked. He was the youngest on the team but it had never been so obvious until just now. A small movement made her move away from her thoughts.

"Emerson?" The figure on the bed shifted slightly and a groan came from him. "Hey." She squeezed his hand tightly, watching as the young DC shifted again.

Emerson's eyes started to twitch open just as a nurse came bustling in. "You're alright." Meg told him, seeing the distressed look that passed on Kent's face. Another groan of what was now obvious as pain came from Kent's lips as the nurses started to pull her out of the room.

**LINE BREAK**

Pain was the first thing that was felt as Emerson Kent started to regain consciousness, followed straight away by confusion. His whole body was throbbing with red hot pain. Shifting to the side, Kent tried to move away from the pain in his side only to have it spike through his bod at the small movement.

Opening his eyes to try and find out what was going on; Kent was met with blinding lights. Groaning he tried to move his hand to cover his eyes but it was being held by someone. He shifted to the side to come face to face with Meg. He wanted to say something but the pain was back, this time coming from his head. The pain was worse than when he'd been striped, while the headache was rivalling that of his last hangover, which had been nasty. Groaning, Kent tried to focus on something but the hustle and bustle that was coming into the room was starting to get too much. Kent thought he heard his name but he couldn't be certain. Everything was starting to go dim again and he just didn't have the energy to fight it off.

**Hope the shift in different POV's isn't too confusing but I'm trying to get the reactions of the different characters. Sorry if the characters aren't quite right. **

**Next Chapter will explain what actually happened in more detail and why it happened **

**Please review and thanks for reading :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews hope you enjoy this chapter. **

Lying in bed, staring at the white ceiling, Kent tried to block out the pain. The doctors had offered to give him some more morphine but he didn't want to go back to the blackness. He could remember vaguely waking up once before blanking out again. That was 2 days ago.

"You don't need to do this today, sweetie." The young nurse told him, playing with the IV next to him.

"It's fine." She shrugged in answer to this.

"If you need anything you just ring me, 'kay." She sent one final smile into the room before leaving.

Lewis was sat next to Kent, reading through a comic a lot calmer now that Emerson was awake and talking. "Get her number."

"That's not what I do."

"She's into you." Emerson couldn't help but laugh at what Lewis said, before cringing in pain as his broken ribs shifted around. A worried look flashed over Lewis' face but Kent waved it off quickly.

"I guessed. Anyway, where's Tom?"

"Why you miss him?" Lewis' voice had an edge to it that Kent didn't miss.

"Where is he?" Emerson used his most serious voice, sick of getting this same joked reply.

Lewis shifted awkwardly in his seat, trying to think of the best way to say it. "Tom ran for it when he saw the paramedics and the police…well turn out they don't like people who run and…"

"They arrested him." Emerson stated bluntly.

"Yeah. Look did he do it?" The look Kent sent Lewis made the artist back track quickly. "I mean the police think he did and the way he acted. It's pretty suspicious don't you think. If you hadn't…you know." Trailing off, the room went oddly silent.

Finally Emerson spoke. "Tom didn't do this but…" Kent hesitated for a minute, not sure if he should tell Lewis or not.

"Go on." Lewis prompted.

"They thought... they thought I was Tom and I can't help but think maybe this has something to do with the…"

"Don't!" Lewis shouted, getting a disapproving look from the nurse who was just walking past the room. Lowering his voice he continued. "Whatever shit Tom's got himself into this time you can't tell the police."

"But…"

"We need to talk to Tom first before we jump to any conclusions." Lewis stated in one of his rare moments of seriousness.

"Yeah." Kent agreed, albeit reluctantly. He didn't like hiding things from the police because he understood how annoying that could be having had previous experience with that sort of thing before. "I'll talk to Tom first but then I'll tell them." Lewis put up no argument to this because just then DI Chandler and DS Miles walked into the room, followed by Kent's doctor.

"You don't need anything." When Emerson shook his head Lewis practically ran straight out of the room, not comfortable with the DI and DS in the room.

The two officers watched the younger man run out of the room, Chandler with a bemused look on his face, while Miles couldn't smirked at the pace the kid could run. Turning back to the younger DC they took in what they were seeing. Kent looked a lot better than when they'd seen him only briefly after surgery but he was still pale and being propped up by cushions didn't disguise the pained way he held himself as if every movement hurt. There was a bandage wrapped around the back of Kent's head while the Kent still had a good number of machines and wires around.

"How you feelin'?" Miles asked, sitting on the chair that had previously been occupied by Lewis. Chandler gave a frown as he removed the magazines that were pile haphazardly on the other chair. Straightening them he placed them neatly onto the table at the side of the hospital bed.

"Sorry sir, Lewis doesn't like surfaces that aren't covered." Kent apologized. "And I'm feeling better." Kent gave a smile to prove it. Although he was still in a lot of pain he was feeling better just being awake again.

"You've got 10 minutes before you have to leave so we can do the CT scan." The doctor stated blandly as he left the room, closing it behind him with a small thud.

"Ray of sunshine 'im." Miles joked, earning him a small chuckle from Kent. Neither of Chandler or Miles, however, missed the shift of discomfort. They sent each other a concerned glance which, thankfully Kent missed.

"We're going to need to know who did this, Kent." Chandler stated, getting down to business. Kent's face immediately sobered up as he replied.

"Not Tom."

"Who then?" The answer was met with silence.

"Come on, kid, you've gotta remember something." Miles prompted him.

"It was a group of me, I think. Sorry sir but I didn't really see their faces. It was dark and it happened before I had a chance to even think." He tried to keep his emotions out of his voice but he wasn't sure if it worked or not. Either way, neither Miles nor Chandler seemed to notice or at least chose to ignore it.

"Are you sure it wasn't Tom Andrews then." Emerson sent a frown at the DI then. "Look, we know you're friends with him but we need to be sure. If he did this he needs to go to prison."

"If it'd been Tom I would have known." Miles sighed in reservation at this, thinking about how they'd now have to restart the whole case. Chandler looked like he was about to argue but the DS cut him, off, knowing Kent wouldn't lie about this.

"They say anything." A look passed over Kent's face then.

"What did they say?" Chandler asked.

Kent didn't want to lie to them but Lewis' words kept going through his head. He couldn't tell them, not until Tom had had a chance to at least explain himself. As he thought more about it the slight pain in his head started to increase into a large drumming that was banging around Kent's skull. "Hey, you alright?" Miles asked concern evident in his voice. Emerson nodded. The brief spike of pain seemed to have passed.

"They did say something but I'm not sure what it was. Sorry." Emerson added after seeing the disappointed looks the DI and DS gave him.

"No need Kent." Chandler reassured him. "The Doctor told us you might not remember anything so what you've told us is fine. If you do remember anything tell us." Kent nodded, feeling guilty about lying to them.

"You get better soon." Miles said, as he and Chandler left the room.

The doctor pushed past them and into the room, starting to talk to Kent who didn't seem to be paying attention to anything that was being said. "He doesn't look good." Chandler stated. Miles nodded in agreement.

"You think he's lying to us?"

Chandler considered his for a moment. "Yeah, but I don't want to push him. Not yet."

"We better go and let that kid out."

"Riley and Mansell can do that."

"And what are we going to do?"

"We're going to have a chat with Lewis Brooklyn." Chandler stated heading back to the car.

**LINE BREAK**

"You're free to leave." A man stated opening the door to Tom's cell.

"Finally, I've been telling you lot I never did it."

"Just cause we're letting you go don't mean you're free. Don't leave Whitechapel."

"Mansell." The woman next to him said softly.

Tom knew he shouldn't have done it but his big mouth was open before he realised it. "You're the guy who's dating Erica?" The look Tom earned for that made him step back further into the cell.

"Out." The woman spoke this time, pushing Mansell out of the way and motioning for Tom to come out of the cell. Sidestepping Mansell, Tom followed them through to get his things.

It was another hour before all the paper work was finished and he was a free man again. Walking out of the police station, all Tom could think about was going back home and sleeping in a proper bed.

**Sorry that Buchan doesn't have much of a role in this Fanfic but he doesn't really fit in with the story at the moment. **

**Please Review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

A loud knock at the door made Lewis start and drop the brush he was holding. Opening the door he found DI Chandler and DS Miles standing outside. "Come in." He stood aside so they could come into the flat.

Chandler looked around the flat in distaste. Forensics had finished so they could come back to staying there. The TV had been replaced and the coffee table had been placed the right side up. The paper and paint pots had been piled around in odd places around the living room, while the kitchen still had pots stacked everywhere. "Sorry bout the mess." Lewis stated, moving the canvas he'd been working on over to the side. Miles picked the brush up, taking a seat next to the now bright red splotch of paint on the couch.

"Are you going to clean that up?" Chandler asked, feeling uneasiness at the mess surrounding him. Lewis only shrugged in answer.

"Tea?" Both shook their heads. Honestly, Chandler couldn't understand how anyone could live like they seemed to. "What is it you wanted?"

"Tom's been released." Chandler stated.

"Good, he didn't do it but if that's all you came to ask me you're wasting time." Miles frowned at the younger man. "I mean Emerson was attacked and I get you needed to rule out Tom but now you have you should be out their looking for the bastards that did this. You are Em's friends aren't you, cause he sure is yours."

"We are however there are certain things we need to clear up." Chandler said, trying to reassure the irate Lewis. "For one, where were you that night?"

"You think I did it."

"The flat wasn't broken into now either Kent let his killer in or the attacker had a key, now I think the formers more likely, don't you?" Miles stated.

"I was out at the gallery." Chandler sighed in relief at the explanation. This was the first time they'd gotten a straight answer.

"Who else would have a key?"

Lewis considered this for a moment before answering. "I've got one, so's Tom and Em. The landlady has one and I think that's everyone."

"You all have yours?" Lewis nodded.

"Was that it?" Chandler shook his head, getting an expecting look form Miles who wasn't sure what the DI was up to.

"We think that Kent lied to us."

Lewis froze for a minute. "Why would he do that?" Lie. It was so obvious it was almost sad.

"The thing is we don't." Chandler continued. "Maybe if you talk to him we'll get some more answers." Lewis nodded, thinking that maybe they didn't think he was lying.

"Well, that's all for now. We'll probably need to talk to you some other time." Lewis nodded, showing the DI and DC out of the door.

As soon as they were gone, Lewis fell onto the couch in despair. Who was he kidding it was so obvious he was lying. It was only a matter of time before they figured out whatever it was or Emerson told them.

The familiar sound of the door opening had Lewis jumped to his feet. "Whoa!" Tom shouted, holding up his hands at the sight of Lewis standing there. "It's just me." Lewis was silent, watching as Tom moved further into the room. "Just saw the coppers outside talking. They here to arrest you now." His tone was nervous, made only more nervous at the look Lewis was giving him. "I was thinking I'd write a story on them. Arresting innocent people and wasting time."

"You bastard." Lewis exploded then.

"What did I do?"

"This is all your fault. And before you start it isn't because the police arrested you."

Tom looked unbelievingly at Lewis. "I was stuck in a cell for 3 days and all you say is that it's my fault."

"And Emerson's been in the hospital for 3 days after getting a beating."

"How the hell is that my fault?" Tom retorted.

"You were meant to be here but instead you were out getting high." Lewis shouted.

"Come on it's just a bit of fun."

"Have you even visited Emerson?" Tom had the decency to look ashamed. "He's your friend."

"I know." Tom mumbled.

**LINE BREAK**

Riley and Mansell were watching the CTV of the night for the second time. "There's nothing here." Mansell finally said. "We've already checked once what does the boss think we're going to see that we didn't last time. The camera's not even pointing the right way."

"I know but this time we know that there was more than one guy." Riley answered back. Mansell only sighed returning to watching the CTV.

"I still think he did it."

"Emerson says he didn't." Mansell only shrugged at this. "Is Erica coming home soon?"

"No, Kent called her after he woke up told her not to bother. Said he was fine." Meg sighed, knowing full well Kent was anything but fine.

A group of men walked into the picture of the CTV. There were about 6 of the in total all big burly men. Apart from now they hadn't seen more than 2 or 3 people walking on the quiet street. "You think that's them?" Mansell asked.

"Yeah. I think it might just be."

**LINE BREAK**

"Why would he lie to us?" Miles asked Chandler as they drove back to the station.

"He's protecting someone." Chandler stated as if it were the most obvious thing. "Come on Miles, why else would Kent say he didn't remember."

Miles looked dubiously at the DI. "That Lewis looked like he was holding something back but Kent wouldn't lie to us."

"I'm not saying he did, I'm just saying it's a possibility." Miles grunted at this though he did have to admit that it wasn't impossible. Kent had seemed a little too nervous answering those questions as if he was hiding something.

"Think we should talk to him again?" Chandler nodded, pulling the car into the police station car park.

"I'm going to talk to Ed, see if he has anything for us."

"Yeah, like that'll help we don't even know what happened for sure."

**LINE BREAK**

The archives were as cluttered as ever as Chandler walked down to them. Buchan was reading through a file with paper piled all around. Sensing the DI watching him Buchan raised his eyes to look at him. "I'm sorry Joe but I need specifics if I'm going to be of any help down here."

Chandler nodded his understanding. "I know how you feel. Kent's not really telling us much."

"Ever think he's scared of something." Buchan speculated, earning a shake of the head from Chandler.

"To be honest I haven't really thought about the effects this might have had on him." Guilt washed over Chandler as he thought of this. He hadn't considered how the young DC might be feeling just presumed because of the job Kent did he'd be full cooperative.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Buchan told him. "I'm sure young Kent would rather you try to get answers than mope around worrying about him." Joe laughed slightly at this, imagining that was probably how Kent did feel.

"If it's any help Kent said there were multiple attackers."

Buchan pondered this for a moment before answering. "It narrows the field but if you could find some more information for me I'll be able to find something more solid."

"Thanks Ed." Chandler said, walking out the archives and back up to the incident room.

**LINE BREAK**

Kent was back lying on the bed, reading one of the magazines that Lewis had brought him. The CT scan hadn't been as bad as he'd thought it would have been but after the exertion of moving from one place to another Emerson's head was reeling. The results would be back in a day and Kent was feeling a little nervous about it.

It had been 2 hours since he'd had the scan when his hospital door opened again. Tom and Lewis walked in, tension surrounding the pair of them. Lewis had a surprisingly serious look on his face at contrast with his usual laid back attitude while Tome looked abashed and awkward.

"How you feelin'?" Tom asked taking a seat next to Kent's bed, fidgeting with his hands. Moving to sit further up Kent disguised the grimace that passed his face.

"Better. You?"

"Those coppers are scary." Kent smiled at this.

"Yeah, they can have that effect." Tom started to ease back into his seat, becoming obviously more at ease.

"I'm starting to get why you didn't like that DC dating your sister."

"That other DC, the woman, she seemed alright though." Lewis stated grabbing the last remaining chair.

"Her? She was almost as bad."

Lewis turned to Tom giving him a hard glare. "That's because she thought you'd attacked Em."

"But he didn't Lewis." Emerson turned to face Lewis.

"Yeah he didn't, but it was his fault."

"I wasn't even there." Tom retorted.

"Tell him Em. Tell him what they said." Lewis said, looking straight at Emerson who shifted slightly in the hospital bed. The headache was back and a pain was making itself known in his ribs again.

"They thought I was you, Tom." Tom didn't say anything to this.

"So what the hell did you do this time?" Lewis nearly shouted at him before remembering he was in a hospital and keeping his voice down, which didn't have the effect he wanted it to.

Tom kept his eyes downcast, not wanting to look at either of his friends. How could he when this really was his fault? He hadn't understood it before when Lewis kept telling him Emerson got hurt because of him. Now he did. And he'd never felt more guilty.

**Decided to stop it here because I didn't want the chapter to be too long, sorry :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Not sure about this chapter, especially the last part, but hope you enjoy it anyway :)**

"So what the hell did you so this time?" Lewis' voice wasn't exactly a shout but Emerson heard the frustration in it. Tom was sat in the chair, eyes downcast.

"Tom?" Emerson asked, hesitantly. The other boy lifted is gaze to meet Emerson's and immediately went down again.

"I'm so sorry." Guilt was obvious and Kent felt sorry for his friend.

Lewis didn't seem to agree him, though, as he started ranting at Tom again. "You're always sorry, Tom. Every time you do something stupid that gets one of your so called friends hurt you're sorry. And it's always Em you're sorry with, why is that? You guys are meant to be best friends and I'm the one who's meant to be left out. Instead that's Em, what the hell is wrong with you Tom?"

"It's fine Lewis." Emerson stated, trying to calm his friend down even if he did sort of agree with what Lewis was saying.

"It's not fine. You're in hospital." Lewis turned to face him this time. "You could have been killed Emerson so no it isn't bloody fine."

"Lewis. Calm down." Emerson nearly shouted at him. His headache had returned and Lewis ranting at them wasn't helping turn it down. Lewis must have realised this because he shut up. "Tom. Why did those guys think I was you and why did they want to attack you?" Kent was trying to keep his voice calm and level but his temper was starting to flare, as he considered what Lewis had said. All of that was true but Emerson had never really thought about it before now.

"I really am sorry Em." Tom said, guiltily, earning him only an angry look from Lewis and a blank stare from Kent. Coughing, Tom continued. "A few weeks ago…I may have borrowed some money from this guy."

"What for?" Lewis cut in.

"Let him finish." Kent retorted.

Tom sent the DC a grateful look before continuing. "The guy gave me a hundred with a promise that I'd pay it all back same place next week. And I did." Tom defensively said seeing the disbelieving look Lewis sent him. "The problem was…well he wanted more. At first I gave it to him but then it kept going up…It's not like I had the money to begin with so… had to stop paying him."

"Why pay him in the first place?" Emerson asked and Tom had a strange feeling that it was DC Kent, as they called Emerson when he was in work mode; he was talking to rather than his friend.

"I said I'd pay him back."

"That's not what I meant, Tom." Kent replied sternly.

Hesitantly, Tom said, "I was scared. He threatened me."

"The other night when you came home with a black eye?" Lewis asked, getting a nod as answer.

"You should've come to us for money." Emerson said. He was getting more worried about this now that Tom was talking. Kent knew this wasn't just some random guy Tom had borrowed money from.

"I couldn't because of what it was for." Tom looked down at his hands.

"You promised you'd stopped taking drugs Tom. After the last time."

"Don't." This time it was Emerson who protested, sending Lewis an almost pleading look.

"Fine." Lewis' tone was angry but he didn't push it. "That still doesn't explain why they thought Em was Tom."

"Because the guys who attacked me only had a name." Kent replied. Shifting in the hospital bed, Kent couldn't shake a feeling of uncomfort that seemed to be surrounding him.

Flashes of the night he's been attacked where appearing in Emerson's head, making his already sore head start to throb more. Wrapping a hand unconsciously around his aching ribs, Kent closed his eyes as if trying to rib the images from his head. "Emerson?" Tom placed a hand on Kent's shoulder in comfort.

Starting, Emerson flinched away from Tom's touch, jerking his broken ribs. "Emerson?" Lewis gently asked. A groan came from Kent in reply. Pain was taking a hold of the young DC's body as the memories kept coming back. "I'll get the nurse." Lewis ran out of the room, leaving Tom to try and comfort Emerson as the bouts of pain ran through his body.

"It's going to be fine." Tom wasn't sure if he was saying this to Emerson or himself. Placing a hand on Emerson's shoulder he was glad when his friend didn't flinch away again. Lewis came in with a nurse as another flash of pain ran through Kent's ribs.

She inserted a needle into the IV drip. As the pain medication seemed to take effect Kent's body seemed to go limp. "Emerson?" Nervously Lewis prodded his friends shoulder. When their wasn't a response both he and Tom looked at the nurse with identical looks of horror on their faces.

"What did you do?" Tom asked her.

"He'll be out of it for a few hours." She stated.

"Why did he go like that?" The nurse gave Tom a sympathetic glance.

"The pain. He's been refusing any pain medication so it's most likely the pain got too much. You two should go home he won't' wake up for a few hours now."

"No, we'll stay." The nurse shrugged and left the room.

**LINE BREAK**

Riley and Mansell had just finished showing Chandler and Miles the CTV of the attackers. "Is this as close as we can get?" Chandler asked, disappointed that they didn't have a clear shot of the men, only blurred faces.

"Yeah." Mansell replied.

Looking more closely at the image, Miles pointed at the man in the middle of the group. "Is that a suit?"

Chandler leaned further into the screen. "Yeah, it is."

"Who wears a suit when they're going to attack someone?" Meg asked, turning to the DI.

"Mobsters." Miles replied.

"Kent was attacked by a gang?" Mansell asked. "But why?"

"Think that's why he lied to us?" Miles turned to Chandler.

"Kent lied?" Riley asked, not believing what the DS had said.

"It's starting to seem more likely. We're going to have to persuade him to open up more if we're going to get anywhere in any case." Chandler added, looking closer at the CTV.

"Maybe it's the drugs the kids on, those things are powerful." Miles said, thinking back to when he'd been in the hospital after being stabbed by the copycat ripper.

"We can't wait until he gets out of the hospital."

"I think we might have to if we're going to get any sense out of the kid." Miles said.

Meg started to talk then. "The doctor at the hospital called and said if there weren't any complications then Emerson would be discharged sometime in the next few days." She'd talked to the doctor just before she'd left when Emerson had woken up.

"Well, as soon as he's discharged we'll go 'round to the flat and talk to 'im." Miles said. The older DS didn't want to believe that Kent was lying but after listening to what they'd found out he was starting to think it was more likely.

"I still think that Tom had something to do with it." No one disagreed with Mansell on this.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all the reviews hope you enjoy this chapter**

It was Chandler that came to the hospital to take Kent home. Tom and Lewis had had to go back to work so they Emerson had hoped Riley would take him home. Instead he got the boss and he couldn't help but feel the red tinge of embarrassment creeping into his cheeks.

"You didn't have to come and get me." Kent mumbled.

"Nonsense we couldn't let you get the tube could we." Chandler replied, giving Kent a friendly smile. He wanted to make sure the young DC got home safely but Chandler still wanted more answers. The case wasn't going anywhere meaning they needed Kent's statement. He'd left Miles in charge back at the office while he talked to Kent.

Kent picked up the bag with the things Lewis and Tom had brought him from the apartment, before shakily standing on his feel. He hadn't been moving around much since being admitted to the hospital so his legs weren't used to holding his weight as much. "I'll take this for you." Chandler stated, taking the bag from Kent.

"Thanks." Emerson mumbled as he followed the DI out of the room. Kent had already signed the paper releasing him from the hospital so now all he had to do was get the prescription pain medication. Chandler offered to do it but Kent said he'd meet him in the car.

As Emerson painfully walked to the counter he couldn't help but wish he'd taken the boss up on his offer. The small exertion was making his broken ribs ache and his already wobbly legs go worse. The headache that had seemed a continuous thing was starting to lessen slightly but it wasn't going away anytime soon. The CT scan had come back all clear so the doctors had told him he had a concussion. It explained the weirdness in his vision whenever he turned around too fast.

By the time Kent got into Chandler's car his whole body was aching. The DI sent a concerned glance his way but said nothing, knowing Kent probably felt embarrassed enough as it was. The drive back to Kent's apartment was oddly silent. Chandler driving as carefully as possible so as to avoid jolting Kent's broken ribs.

It didn't work as well as he'd hoped because by the time he pulled the car up there was an obvious line of pain across Kent's face. "You can wait for a minute if you want?"

"No, I'm fine." Emerson mumbled, opening his closed eyes to look at the DI. "Really, I'll be fine." Climbing out of the car, Chandler had no choice but to follow the younger man.

He had no idea how he managed it but somehow Emerson climbed the stairs to the apartment. His arm was wrapped around his ribs and his head was throbbing not to mention the nausea which seemed to be creeping up. "Here let me." Chandler took the keys out of Kent's hand, opening the door for the young DC.

"Thanks, sir." Emerson stated, not noticing when Joe followed him into the flat. If anything the place had gotten messier than before but at least the pots had been washed recently.

"Where do you want me to put these?" Emerson waved vaguely at the table where they usually dumped the keys as he collapsed onto the couch.

"Thanks for the lift sir but you don't need to stay. I'll be fine." Emerson stated, wanting nothing more than to take his pain medication and collapse into bed.

Chandler didn't listen to him, instead taking a seat on the chair next to the sofa, trying to ignore the cluttered mess surrounding him. "Kent?" Emerson didn't seem to hear him, seemingly starting to drift off. "Kent?" Chandler said again, this time drawing the young man back into reality.

"Sorry." Emerson said, lifting his aching body up so he was sat looking at the DI.

Chandler could feel the guilt building up at the idea of talking to Kent when he was like this. "Do you want tea? Your pain meds?"

Kent's vacant stare turned to the DI, obviously confused about what he'd just said. "Yeah, thanks sir." Chandler went into the open kitchen, feeling an uncontrollable need to clean the place up. He pushed the urge down, somehow, and instead settled for cleaning two mugs and making tea in silence.

By the time he'd made the cup of tea and placed it onto the coffee table, Kent had taken out the pills. "Are you alright Kent?"

Emerson took two pills out, swallowing them dry. "Fine." Seeing Chandler's disbelieving look he continued. "Really sir, the doctors said this was normal after coming off the medication. I'll be fine." Chandler nodded.

"Look, Kent. I wanted to talk to you. About what happened?"

"Okay." Kent replied hesitantly.

Chandler considered how to take the conversation, not wanting to make out that he thought Kent had been lying. "You said you heard voices, do you know what they sounded like. Or said."

Emerson looked down at his hands for a minute, considering if he should tell the DI. Tom had agreed, somewhat unwillingly, that they'd go to the police when Emerson was out of the hospital. The problem was they'd never agreed as to what they'd do if they were asked directly.

Not wanting to lie again, though, Kent answered. "It was only one man. Only one of them spoke. He said…well I don't really know what he said." Chandler looked disappointed but didn't talk, seeing that Kent hadn't finished. "I only heard the one thing…he said." Emotions were starting to well up but Kent stopped himself from letting them out. Just thinking back to what had happened was making his ribs and head ache more and more. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "He said…he said he wanted his money and that if he didn't get it he'd do worse."

"You knew who it was then?" Chandler asked, wondering why Kent would want to borrow money from someone, it wasn't like the job paid that little. Anyway, Kent just didn't seem the type to deal with people like this.

"No." Kent shook his head. "The man thought I was…" Kent hesitated, not wanting to get his friend into trouble.

"Go on." Chandler prompted.

"He thought I was Tom." It was almost inaudible but Chandler heard it. A million questions ran through his head at this point but Kent carried on talking first. "I'm sorry I lied sir."

"It's fine. Tom was your friend but this is good. Why would they want to attack your friend though?" Chandler asked his tone comforting.

"Tom will have to explain. Sorry sir but it's not something I feel comfortable telling you." Chandler nodded in understanding, admiring Emerson's loyalty to his friend.

"That's fine. When will he come to the station?"

Emerson smiled as he answered. "We were going to come after they got off work. Guess you got their first though." 'They' was obviously referring to Lewis and Tom, making Chandler wonder about what really was going on.

"Okay, that's fine. You should get some rest." Kent's head had started to droop down onto his shoulder, making him remind Chandler how young Kent really was.

"'Kay. Thanks sir." Kent slurred, obviously already falling into oblivion. "You should take the keys and lock up behind you." Kent suddenly remembered, not feeling like he could actually move to do it himself.

"Alright. I'll see you later then." Chandler said, walking out of the flat. As he locked up and posted the keys back through the letter box, walking to back to his car he couldn't help feeling guilty about leaving Lent on his own.

It only took 5 minutes before Chandler had left the house for Emerson to fall backwards on the sofa and close his eyes. The pain killers were starting to take effect and were dragging him into the black void and sleep.

**Just so you know, this is not a slash Fanfic though it probably could be read as one. Personally, I'm not so sure about Kent being gay though I';m not against the idea. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and once again thanks for reading and I'd appreciate reviews so I know people like what I'm writing or not :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Walking into the flat, Tom picked up the keys lying on the floor. Emerson was still lying on the sofa, asleep and oblivious to what was going on. Two mugs were standing on the coffee table but Lewis wasn't in. Kent started to stir in his sleep as Tom stood there. "Hey." Tom said hesitantly, as Emerson woke up and lifted himself to sit up.

"Hey." Emerson mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Tom asked, taking the two mugs into the kitchen.

"Fine." Kent said. The pain was starting to lessen now.

"Who was here?"

"Erm…the boss he gave me a lift home." Emerson answered, getting a frown from Tom.

"Did you tell him anything?" Tom didn't even need an answer to this, already knowing. "Bloody hell, Em. You agreed to let me tell them.

Emerson rubbed the side of his head again, a slight headache forming again. "I didn't tell him everything, just…what they wanted."

"You promised you'd wait." Tom's tone angry.

"What was I supposed to do, lie again? I've already covered for you once." Emerson retorted, his own temper flaring.

"You're meant to be my friend. You're meant to have my back." Tom hadn't wanted to talk to the police to begin with and hoped that he could talk Emerson and Lewis out of making him, now he'd have to. "Shit, Emerson. Couldn't you have just waited?" Tom knew his voice was raising but he didn't care.

Emerson stared at his friend in disbelief. "Well, I'm sorry that me telling the truth is a problem for you." Sarcasm laced his tone.

"So what are you closer with DI Chandler than me now? We've known each other for years Em and you're meant to…"

Emerson cut him off. "What kind of friend drugs the other against their will?" He knew he shouldn't have said it the moment it left his mouth. "I'm sorry."

Tom stared at Kent, angrily. "You're sorry; bet you told that DI everything didn't you. Want me to get arrested or something." Stalking over to Kent, Tom yelled at him. "Well do you?"

The closer that Tom got the more uncomfortable Emerson started to feel. Logically Kent knew Tom wouldn't hurt him but the proximity made Kent think back to how close the man had come to him the night of the attack. Taking a calming breath, Emerson looked up at Tom.

"I didn't tell him. I won't tell him. Won't tell anyone." Tom looked at him in disbelief. "It was an accident, just harmless fun I know it was. So I won't tell anyone. And…I'm sorry for bringing it up."

Tom looked like he wanted to say more on the subject but just then Lewis walked into the room. Taking in the scene of Tom standing close to Emerson, both with identical angry looks on their faces, Lewis said: "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Emerson reassured his friend, shifting in the seat as Tom sat down. Lewis dumped his things by the door. "Can't you put things away, properly?" Lewis only shrugged.

"We had a visitor." Tom started casually. "DI Chandler. Emerson told him everything."

"Not everything. Not about you." Tom obviously expected Lewis to come to his defence but he only shrugged.

"Good. They need to know." Seeing Tom's pissed off look, Lewis ignored it and carried on talking. "But you still need to talk to them, tell them what you know."

"No." Tom stated.

"You have to." Lewis retorted.

"I don't have to do anything."

Emerson stared at Tom with anger obvious. "Tom, you have to tell them…And if you don't I will."

"It's my private business." Tom yelled.

"I don't care, they need to know or they won't catch who did this."

"You think I care. They will kill me if I tell the police. You know first-hand what that feels like, getting beaten up and nearly killed. Look at you. That could have been me."

"Should have been."

"Lewis!" Emerson stared at his friend in utter shock.

"What, it's not like he doesn't deserve it. Everything that's happening has happened. It's all Tom's fault." Lewis shouted, turning on Tom this time.

"I didn't ask for it."

"You didn't need to. If you could just avoid the drugs, like you promised you would then none of this would have happened."

Emerson had no idea how to stop this argument as Tom continued shouting back at Lewis. "It's my life; I can do whatever the hell I want to do."

"Yeah you can except when it gets your friends hurt."

"When has that ever happened?"

Lewis actually laughed at this. "Are you serious? Are you fucking serious?" Emerson knew he had to stop this before things got out of hand. He just couldn't. Tom needed to hear this. "These drugs are messing with your head; they are making you hurt your friends. You want examples I've got two. First you spike mine and Em's drink with those damned drugs. And don't even deny it I know you spike mine too, I just spilt mine before I even got a chance to drink it."

"It got Em to loosen up a little though." Tom was trying to make light of situation but the nervous undertone of his voice showed how he was really feeling.

"Yeah it did. Except that you put too much in it. If Em hadn't been sick then who knows what could have happened. Hell he was out of it for two days afterwards."

"I said I was sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough and now you get involved with people who aren't afraid to use violence. And once again Emerson suffers because of you. Those doctors at the hospital said he could have died. It was…"

"Shut up!" Kent shouted over Lewis's irate voice. Both Tom and Lewis turned to face Kent. "That's enough, the pair of you. Tom said he was sorry and I forgave him, Lewis. And Tom it doesn't matter about your personal feelings on this you need to tell the police everything."

Tom looked down at his hands, guiltily. "I really am sorry." Emerson didn't bother looking at his friend. When Tom realised this he stood back up going to grab his keys.

"Where are you going?" Lewis asked.

"Police station." Tom answered, opening the door and slamming it behind him.

Neither Lewis or Emerson said anything for a while, not sure what they should say to one another. Lewis was feeling guilty for losing his temper like that and Kent's headache was coming back. Not to mention he was worried about what Tom had said about what the men who'd attacked him might do next.

"I should apologise?" It wasn't a question but Lewis made it sound like one.

"We both probably should." Kent mumbled. "He is right though."

"About what?" Lewis asked.

"Those men. What they might do if they know Tom went to the police."

"They'll catch them though, that DI and the others. Right?" Emerson nodded, hoping to reassure Lewis but he wasn't so sure anymore.

The attacker's voice was going through his head. "One week." Two days until he found out if the man was serious or not.

**This chapter has gone in a completely different way that I thought it would. Sorry for anyone who wanted more of the team, there'll be a lot more of them next chapter. **

**Once again thanks for reading and please review :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The team had been focused completely on trying to find out who the man with the suit was. After Chandler had come back with what Kent had said they'd made some progress. They now knew the motivation for the attack, the problem was finding out who the attacker was. Ed had been through the archives and had found hundreds of cases on mistaken identity and even more one money motivated attacks.

Miles thought the attacker had to a loan shark, or a group of them. Chandler wasn't so sure about that, simply because Kent had been mistaken for Tom. Every loan shark knew there victims but these attackers obviously didn't.

"When did Kent say Andrews was coming in?" Mansell asked as the Di walked out of his office.

"Sometime today after he gets off work."

"I still think we should arrest him, or at least pay a visit to him at work."

Riley looked up from where she was looking at her own computer. "He isn't likely to talk if we go barging in there."

"We have to wait. If he doesn't come in after another hour, myself and Miles will go and find him." Chandler said, rubbing his temples.

"Alright boss." Mansell subsided.

Turning to Riley, Chandler asked, "Have you found anything yet?" She shook her head.

"All the tailors in town sell nearly identical suits. They said they'd be able to tell if it was one of theirs if it was a better picture."

Miles turned to the DI then. "We're clutching at straws 'ere. We need to find out who Tom Andrews was borrowing money from."

"I found a number of suspects on the database, sir, but nothing certain." Mansell added.

"We need a name." Miles stated again, sighing in reservation Chandler nodded.

"Fine. Miles and I will go and talk to Tom. Mansell and Riley go and talk to Kent again, make sure Lewis is there too. We need to know more about Tom Andrews, if he was the intended victim." Chandler grabbed his coat, Miles following behind.

Just as they got to the door, a uniform came up to the incident room. "Yes?" Chandler asked his tone agitated.

"There's a Mr Tom Andrews here for you sir. He said he has information on the attack on DC Kent."

"Show him to an interview room, we'll be there shortly." Chandler said as he went to return the coat to his office. Straightening it back onto the chair, he looked back into the incident room where the DS was talking with the other two DC's. "Riley, Mansell I was serious about you talking to Kent and Lewis. We need to know everything." Nodding Riley and Mansell both exited the room.

**LINE BREAK**

Tom knew he shouldn't have expected anything better of his friends. Hell, he knew he deserved everything they'd said to him, except maybe the apology. Sitting back in the police interview room, Tom couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. He didn't want to be here for so many reasons. But he had to.

After living with a policeman for so long, Tom had learnt a thing or two about the law. Although he didn't necessary like them, especially the team Em worked with who'd treated him as if he was a murderer, Tom knew he had to tell the truth. Anyway, if he didn't Emerson and Lewis would.

Jumping at the sudden creak of the interview door opening, Tom nervously tried to calm himself as DI Chandler and DS Miles took the seats opposite him.

"I'm presuming you're going to tell us who you borrowed money from and who might want to attack you?" Tom gulped, not meeting the DI's eyes.

Nodding, he had a moment of doubt about whether he should tell them. The DS's annoyed grunt made his mind up for him. "Erm…I borrowed money from a guy I met."

"His name?" Chandler prompted agitation clear in his voice.

"I think…" Tom tried to think.

"Go on then." Miles was starting to think this was just a waste of time. Leaning over to whisper in the Chandler's ear he said, "I don't think he's going to tell us anything."

"Just wait a minute." Chandler muttered back.

Tom had watched the exchange, getting more and more nervous as the time went on. "I think it was Adam…but 'm not really positive."

"How can you not be positive you borrowed money from this man?" Chandler exclaimed.

"Well, I...he didn't exactly tell me all that much."

"What exactly did he say?" Miles looked Tom fully in the face.

"He said…he knew I was having money difficulties and he offered to help."

"How would he know that?" Chandler asked, curiously. Tom shrugged in answer. "Why did you need the money? I'm sure your friends could have given you it. Or family." Chandler continued.

"It doesn't matter why I needed the money just who's trying to kill me."

Miles looked hard at the young man sat in front of him. The nervous twitching, not meeting their eyes. Tom was either a really bad liar or he was on drugs. "I want the truth Tom, are you on drugs?" Tom's eyes darted to the door.

"I can end this interview right? I came here on my own accord and now I'm being accused. Can we finish?" Tom knew he wasn't making any sense but right now he couldn't care less. He knew what the police did to addicts.

"Hey, we aren't going to arrest you." Miles held up a hand, in a sort of surrender. "We just want to get all of the facts so we can get these guys." Tom nodded, his eyes still darting around.

"What drugs are you on?" Chandler asked him.

"Cocaine." Tom mumbled.

"And where do you get it?"

"Places." Tom replied to the DI's question.

"Could this man have known about it?" Chandler asked, trying to understand how someone could know that Tom needed money.

"Probably." Tom answered.

"We'll need a description of the man." Miles told him. "Could you give us that?" Tom nodded in answer. "Alright, we'll leave you here with a sketch artist."

**LINE BREAK**

"What do you think?" Miles asked, as he and Chandler walked back to the incident room.

"I think that if we get a description of this man we'll be able to find our attackers." Chandler stated, getting a shake of the head from Miles.

"No, I meant about his story."

"He shows the classic sign of an addict."

"Yeah he does, but I still don't understand how the man knew about Tom Andrews's needing money."

"Neither do I, call riley and send her a picture of the man Tom gives us. See if Kent or Lewis have any idea."


	10. Chapter 10

"Come in." Lewis said, motioning for Riley and Mansell to come into the flat. Kent was sat on the sofa, nursing a cup of tea but looking considerably better than the last time Riley had seen him.

"You look like shit." Mansell said, getting an amused smile from Kent. Lewis frowned at the exchange but Riley's eye rolling and Kent's smile reassured him.

"Tea?" He asked, getting nods from both DC's.

"How are you feeling Emerson?" Riley asked, taking a seat on the sofa next to Kent.

"Better. Has Tom gone to the station yet?" Emerson asked. Ever since Tom had left the flat he'd been worried about what his friend was really up to.

"Yeah, the boss and skip are talking to him." Mansell confirmed, relaxing Emerson's fears.

"Thanks." Meg said taking the tea out of Lewis' hand. Mansell had taken the chair next to the sofa, so Lewis had to remove the papers stacked on the other chair to get a seat. "Right, well let's get started. We need to ask you both a few questions about Tom."

Lewis shuffled in his seat as Emerson looked down at the tea in his hands. "Is there something you need to tell us?" Mansell asked, seeing the uncommonly nervous look on the other DC's face.

"No." Lewis cut in.

"Nothing." Kent reassured them. Mansell and Riley shared a look, knowing something wasn't right here. They were both acting odd as if they were hiding something.

"Well maybe you could tell us a bit about Tom. How did you all meet?" Riley continued.

"Me and Tom went to the same school." Emerson replied. "We got a flat together after college."

"Yeah, I met Tom when he did a piece on my art, we became friends and he asked if I wanted to move in. You know get away from my parents' house."

"So you've lived together for a while?" Riley asked. On further inspection of the flat she noticed a few pictures around the wall. "Are they the three of you?" Both of them nodded.

"Has he been acting strange over the last few days?" Mansell continued. Emerson was starting to feel nervous as the questions kept coming. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer them it was more that he didn't know exactly what to say without getting Tom into trouble.

Luckily he didn't need to answer as Lewis started to talk. "Yeah."

Meg's phone started to ring then so she took it into the kitchen, leaving Mansell to continue. "Weird how?"

"Just weird." Lewis shrugged. Even if he was still angry with Tom he didn't want to get him into trouble with the police.

Mansell look about ready to protest with Lewis' statement, anting more, when Meg came back into the room. They were both thinking the same thing, that the two flat mates were hiding something. Mansell couldn't understand it though; Kent was part of the team. Why would he lie to them, or at least not tell them everything?

Meg on the other hand had just gotten off the phone to Chandler and was starting to understand just why Kent and Lewis weren't being all that cooperative. They were protecting their friend. "That was the boss." She aimed this statement to Emerson more than Lewis. "He and Miles have just finished interviewing Tom and he's doing an e-fit for them." She took a moment for Kent to hear this. "The boss also wanted to know if either of you knew about Tom taking drugs."

The reaction was instant. Kent went from nervous to completely still while Lewis clenched his fists together. Neither of the DC's talked for a moment, trying to gage the reactions of their colleague and his friend. Eventually Emerson started to talk. "Yes. We knew."

"Is that why he borrowed the money?" Both of them nodded.

Meg's phone rang again, signalling the text with the e-fit on it. Showing it to Kent then Lewis she asked, "Do you know this man?" Emerson shook his head but Lewis frowned.

"Could I?" Riley nodded, handing the phone over to Lewis. "Yeah. I know him."

Mansell looked at Riley in surprise. "Where from?"

Lewis hesitated but carried on talking when Emerson sent him an encouraging look. "From a party we went to a few weeks ago."

"Whose party was it?" Mansell asked him, completely oblivious to Kent. Riley on the other hand noticed how still Kent had become as Lewis talked. Squeezing his hand slightly, she gave him a small smile.

"I don't really remember. It was a wild night, wasn't it Em." Lewis' voice was edging on hysteria as he told the lie. He couldn't drop Tom in it like that, couldn't tell the police anything about that party, not unless he wanted Tom to be arrested.

"Yeah." Kent answered, also a lie. He couldn't remember a thing about that night anyway so it wasn't exactly a lie.

Mansell and Riley shared a look, seeing how they acted. Both DC's knew they were lying again but why this time. Taking a chance, Mansell confronted them on it. "You're lying."

"No we're not." Lewis' said hysterically. "You don't have any proof we are anyway. We're trying to help."

Kent looked at Lewis before sighing in reservation. "We're not lying it's more…"Emerson wasn't sure how to phrase it to keep Riley and Mansell from getting suspicious. "During the party there were a lot of people and we didn't really notice most of them."

"Tell us about that night." Meg prompted.

"Why, you don't need to know?" Riley sent Lewis a hard look, turning to watch Kent.

"Emerson, we need all the information so we can find out who this man is."

Kent looked up at her in confusion. "Tom doesn't know who he was?" She shook her head in answer.

Lewis snorted at this. "That's typical. How bloody stupid can you get?" Emerson sent the other man a hard glare, silently telling him to shut up. "Chances are that guy, who Tom borrowed the money from, saw exactly that Tom was doing. Wouldn't take a genius to figure out he was broke. Aren't all addicts?" Rationally, Lewis knew he should just shut up but he was sick of the lies. Sick of covering for Tom when all he did was lie and hurt people.

"What would he have seen?" Mansell leant further to look at Lewis. The DC had known Tom something was up with Tom Andrews. Now he was going to get the answer.

"Lewis, think about this." Emerson said, looking straight at Lewis.

"No way, he deserves it."

"He doesn't. You're not thinking clearly Lewis." Emerson was trying to stop his friend from making a mistake he would regret. Sure Lewis was angry right not but in a few days' time he's come to his sense. Then

Lewis looked at Emerson in disbelief. "Why do you always protect him? It's not like he's done anything to deserve any loyalty." Kent didn't know how to reply so instead he turned to Riley.

"Nothing happened." But Meg had turned to Lewis. She felt guilty about this but the boss had said they had to find out everything they could and Emerson wasn't talking. Lewis was though.

"He saw Tom spike mine and Em's drinks." The silence that followed felt endless. Emerson felt both embarrassment and guilt creeping up. Tom was their friend and he hadn't been able to keep this secret. And now the people he worked with would know everything.

"With what?" Riley asked, going into a more professional role. This was serious, if what Lewis was saying was the truth which she thought was.

"Whatever it was he was smoking probably." Lewis told her, matter of factly.

"Did you both drink it?" Meg asked once more. Mansell hadn't said a thing, just looked at Kent in a concerned way.

"I didn't, the drink sort of got spilt but Em did." Guilt was starting to well up in Lewis but he'd gone too far to start lying now. He felt guilt for Emerson having his personal privacy invaded by people he worked with but not as guilty about what could happen to Tom. Saying t, Lewis hadn't thought of the implications. Kent had but Emerson worked in the force, he knew the drills. Lewis didn't. He was just someone who had finally snapped at their friend and betrayed them in the biggest possible way.

"Do you want to report it?" Mansell turned to Emerson, who shook his head instantly. Anger at Lewis was filling him up now.

"Emerson, we know he's your friend but this sort of thing is illegal."

"I know it is." He turned to face Riley as he talked. "And I'm not saying no because he's my friend it was just a…an accident." He knew it was a lousy excuse but he didn't know what else to say. Trying to switch the topic back to the man he said. "The man Tom borrowed money from will have seen it…or at least the aftermath of it. Wouldn't have taken him too long to figure out what had happened ether way." Emerson wanted them out. He couldn't take the sympathetic looks the other DC's were giving him. "You should leave." He said, getting up off the sofa. The sudden movement jostled his aching ribs, sending a spike of pain through him. Gritting his teeth through the onslaught of pain he continued. "Just don't arrest Tom."

Riley and Mansell got up, going to the door. "Thanks for the cooperation. We'll talk to the boss, explain all of this but…we can't guarantee anything." Riley said as she followed Mansell out of the door.

"Em…" Lewis hesitantly said as Emerson closed and locked the door. "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you need to apologise to. What the hell where you thinking Lewis?"

"I don't know." Lewis answered. Emerson sighed, grabbing his jacket from the coat hanger. "Where are you going?"

"Out." Kent stated, angrily.

"Come on, Em. You're still in pain." Emerson knew that what Lewis said was true but he needed to get out of the flat. Needed to think. Without another word he exited the flat, leaving Lewis sitting there alone.

**Not sure about the way I've written this chapter but I'll post it anyway. Please review and tell me what you think. Also, would like to know if you want Tom to go to prison or not. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hopefully this chapter explains why Kent and Lewis are trying to protect Tom. Hope you enjoy and thanks for the reviews. **

Emerson wasn't sure where he was going as he walked down the streets of Whitechapel. His ribs were starting to ache more and more but he didn't want to go back. The guilt at what they'd done was filling him up. Sure Tom probably did deserve it but Kent didn't want him to go to prison.

Taking a seat on a bench, Emerson's ribs throbbing in the process, Kent tried to stop his mind from whirring. The guilt was eating him up from the insides while his head was telling him that Tom needed to be punished for what he'd done. He couldn't keep getting a free pass with an apology and a promise never to do it again. Resting his head on his hands, Emerson sighed in frustration.

Lewis had been right to tell them, he knew that but Kent just couldn't stop thinking of Tom. He'd knew the team and they'd arrest him, at least hold him until they couldn't any more. Shit. Tom had done so much for him for years and he couldn't even help his friend. Repay him for everything.

Back in school he'd been a complete loner, always picked on because of his shy nature, but Tom had befriended him. Tom had been the one to push Kent to apply to the police. He'd pushed him when Emerson himself hadn't had the confidence to do it. If it wasn't for Tom most of Kent's life wouldn't have gone the way it had. And now Tom was probably stuck in a police cell because Emerson couldn't keep the secret he promised he would.

Logically he knew it wasn't his fault, Lewis had told them. But he couldn't blame Lewis for this because Kent should have stopped it. He shouldn't have let it happen in the first place. As he sat there, he didn't care that people were giving him strange looks as small tears of guilt, pain and frustration escaped his eyes.

**LINE BREAK**

Lewis hadn't moved. He knew he shouldn't have let Emerson go out on his own. No matter how much his friend tried to hide it, Lewis knew that Em was in pain. He should be at home resting, not worrying because his flat mates were complete idiots.

Because that's what they were. Lewis was an idiot for not listening to Emerson, when the younger man knew how to handle these situations. And Tom was an idiot for getting involved in all of this in the first place.

Never had Lewis expected himself to actually lose his temper like that, usually being so laid back but he couldn't help it. Tom deserved it to some extent. So why did he feel so guilty about what he'd done?

**LINE BREAK**

"What do we do?" Riley and Mansell had just come back from Kent's flat and had told the DS and DI everything.

"I don't know." Chandler replied to Miles.

"We should arrest him." Miles didn't want this kid to get away with hurting one of his DC's.

"We can't, not unless Kent wants to press charges." Miles wasn't happy with the reply so Chandler decided to change the subject. "These people will attack Kent, or Tom, again, soon. We need to place an officer at the flat so we can catch them before they do anything else." Miles nodded.

"I'll get Mansell on it. Meg's going to circulate the image around the streets."

"Good, we need to find out who this man is." Chandler could see Miles wasn't going to let the matter of Kent and Tom rest so Chandler continued. "We'll talk to Tom again but we can't hold him." Miles nodded in reservation, knowing there wasn't much else he could do.

"I'll talk to Kent."

"No!" Chandler shouted, lowering his tone after seeing the odd looks they got through the office doors. "It will only make him clam up. Give him time." Miles said nothing in answer to this.

**LINE BREAK**

Entering the interview room once more, the two officers where met with an irate Tom. "I thought I was allowed to go once I was finished."

"You are, we just need to ask you a few questions." Tom sat down at Chandlers calming tone but kept his eyes on the DS, who was looking at with obvious hate in his eyes. Before Miles could say anything Chandler asked, "Do you know when those men could come back?"

"Yeah, Em said one week." Tom muttered, worrying about what might happen.

"So tomorrow." A nod was given in answer.

"You went to a party with DC Kent and Lewis Brooklyn didn't you?" Miles asked, giving the younger man a hard stare.

"Yes…what does this have to do with anything?" It was Chandler who answered, giving Tom an equally, though more subdued, look of distaste.

"The man you borrowed money from knew that you were having money difficulties. As confirmed by Lewis Brooklyn this man was at the party and may have seen…certain activities." Tom knew what they were going to say but kept a look of confusion on his face.

Cutting straight to the question, Miles said. "Did you spike DC Kent or Lewis Brooklyn's drinks?"

Tom froze in place, an angry look instantly crossing over his face. "Where did you here that?"

"Your Flat mates." Miles retorted, looking straight into the eyes of Tom Andrews. A look of pure anger flared in them.

"I didn't do anything. Where's your proof?" As an afterthought Tom said, "I want a lawyer before I go any further."

Miles looked about ready to kill the other boy and Chandler just sat there in complete anger at how Tom was treating his friends. Acting on w him the DI confronted the younger man. "You won't need a lawyer because DC Kent has decided not to press charges. However, we would like you to give an answer to this question."

"I'm not being charged so I'll be leaving." Tom growled out, getting up from his seat. Neither Chandler nor Miles tried to stop the other man leaving the room.

As soon as the door had been closed Miles started to rant at the DI. "That little piece of shit. He's not even grateful that Kent didn't want to press charges. How dare he?"

"I know. Get Mansell to follow him home, I didn't like the look in his eyes." Miles nodded in agreement with the DI.

While they didn't think that Tom would actually hurt his flat mates they had seen the anger in his eyes and they couldn't rule out that possibility.

**Short chapter but this was is more of a filler anyway. Next chapter will have more in it I promise. Thanks for reading and as always please review and tell me what you thought :) **


	12. Chapter 12

Mansell wasn't happy, sitting in the car watching the flat Tom had just walked into. What was this kid going to do? Whatever it was Mansell didn't think it was going to be good. He'd known that he didn't like Tom Andrews the minute he'd met him and now after hearing what he'd done to Kent, well it just made him dislike Tom even more.

**LINE BREAK**

Tom barged into the flat, slamming the door shut after him. Before Lewis could even get up and ask him what was wrong Tom was shouting. "What the hell, Lewis! You bloody promised you wouldn't say anything."

Lewis sat silent for a moment. "What else was I meant to say?"

"I don't know, maybe lie." Tom said incredulously.

"I'm sick of lying for you, calling in your work because you're too hung over or stoned to move. You think I'm going to lie to the police."

Tom wasn't listening though. "Where's Emerson? He's as much to blame as you are. I could have been arrested." The guilt that Lewis had been feeling about telling the DC's about Tom was evaporating quickly.

"Emerson was the one trying to shut me up. I have no idea why he's so loyal to you cos you sure as hell don't deserve it." Lewis shouted at Tom.

Giving a sharp humorous laugh, Tom walked over to Lewis, threateningly. "Shut up!" Tom shouted, raising a fist.

Before Lewis had any chance to react, Tom had punched him in the mouth. Falling backwards onto the couch, Lewis gave Tom a hard glare as he jumped to his feet, sending a return punch to Lewis. It wasn't long before the two men were throwing punches and licks to one another over and over again. Blood was already dripping down Tom's nose and Lewis' lip had started to swell.

The sound of the door opening stopped both of them in their tracks.

**LINE BREAK**

Kent didn't know how long he'd been sat on the bench, just staring into space but it was long enough for the pain in his ribs and head to increase to an almost unbearable level. Sighing, Emerson considered if he'd even make it home, let alone if he really wanted to go back.

As the pain flared, Kent sighed awkwardly standing to his wobbling feet. Wrapping a hand around his ribs, Emerson started to long walk back home. He hadn't realised how far he'd walked before sitting until Kent started to long trek back to the flat.

Knowing Lewis was probably still in the flat made Kent reluctant to go back but he really need to pain meds before this pain killed him. It probably took longer than it should have for Emerson to walk back to the flat but he figured he could be excused for that, seeing as his vision was blurring and sharp stabs of pain were running through him.

By some miracle, or maybe not, Kent found himself standing outside the building that housed the flat in one piece. Opening the front door, Emerson frowned in reservation at the stairs in front of him. He was so focused on trying to climb the stairs that Kent completely missed the sounds of banging coming from his flat.

"What is going on up there?" The lady who lived on the floor below the flat-mates asked as Kent passed her front door. Emerson looked at her in confusion, which she sighed in frustration at. "The banging. You aren't the only ones living here you know? I'd have thought an officer of the law would know better than to make such a racket." With a huff she slammed the door in Kent's face, leaving him completely confused about what had happened.

Another large bang made Kent look up, realising what she'd been on about. Rushing to climb the last few steps, Emerson grunted in pain as one of his ribs seemed to move around. Groaning he pulled the key out of his pocket, only hearing the sounds of grunts coming from within the flat.

"What is going on?" He mumbled, opening the door. In all honesty he had expected the men who'd attacked him to have come back. It would have been better than what he did find as he opened the flat door.

Tom was holding Lewis in a death grip, both covered in bruises and blood. Paper, pots and a smashed cup covered the living room floor. As he'd opened the door, Tom and Lewis had seemed to freeze in place. Emerson had no idea what to say as he looked at his two friends.

"You fucking told them!" Tom exclaimed, dropping Lewis and stalking over to Emerson. He felt himself physically flinch away as Tom came further towards him. Somehow Lewis managed to grab Tom and pull him towards the sofa just as Tom came within hitting distance.

Kent stood the in complete shock. "We didn't have a choice Tom."

Looking at him with anger, Tom said, "You had a choice. You didn't need to tell them." Tom had collapsed onto the sofa, holding his head in his hands, shaking. "They almost arrested me."

"It's nothing you don't deserve." Lewis muttered.

"Shut up." Emerson glared at Lewis before turning to Tom. "We can' keep on lying for you." Hesitantly he took a seat next to Tom, trying to ignore the pain in his head. "You need to take responsibility for your actions."

Tom gazed at Emerson. "I said I was sorry. I thought this was behind us."

Emerson only shook his head. "I shouldn't have said that. This can't just go away overnight. Things have been different ever since that night and you know it Tom. We need to sort this." Turning his gaze to Lewis this time Kent continued. "And hitting each other won't help, if anything it'll just make it worse."

Both Tom and Lewis looked at the floor, embarrassed at what had happened. "Sorry." Tom muttered.

Lewis looked about ready to explode again but a sharp glare from Emerson stopped him in his tracks. "I'm sorry too." As an afterthought Lewis said, "But it doesn't mean I forgive you."

"You think I forgive you. Either of you. I could have been arrested!" Tom practically screamed at the two. The loudness of the voice seemed to echo through Kent's pounding head.

"That's rich coming from you!" Lewis was on his feet again. "We're always forgiving you and you don't even have the decency to forgive us!" Lewis' voice was nearly as loud as Tom's.

The two of them looked ready to start another fight and Kent's immediate response was to separate them. Not thinking, he jumped in front of the two friends just as Tom and Lewis both resumed their fighting.

All of this happened within a second and if you asked them later what happened, none of them could be certain. Emerson doubled over in pain, collapsing onto the floor his face scrunched up as his hands went automatically to catch himself. Banging his already pounding head on the coffee table, Lewis and Tom stood there in horror as they watched their friend fall.

The sound of Kent hitting the floor and letting out a groan of pain seemed to pull them out of their face. "What hurts?" Lewis asked.

"Should I call an ambulance?" Tom immediately followed. Emerson tried to pull himself up but two hands restrained him, making him stay on the ground.

Trying to focus on his two flatmates, Kent said, "No, m' fine."

"Emerson you need to go the hospital." Lewis stated, firmly.

Not paying attention to wither of them, Kent pushed Tom's hands away, staggering to his feet. Everything spun wildly as he collapsed into the chair. "Em?" Tom asked, worriedly.

"Just go away." Tom looked hurt but Kent really couldn't care. "Both of you." Kent shouted at them, flinching as the loudness of his voice made his head thump.

"You need to go to hospital." Lewis stated once more. He didn't notice when Tom staggered backwards out of the house.

Emerson shook his head, which turned out to be a big mistake as nausea built up. "I'm fine. I just need to take my pills and sleep." Kent mumbled, none to convincingly.

Lewis sighed, not wanting to argue with Emerson any more. "Alright. But if you get any worse you're going to hospital." He relented, getting a nod from Kent.

**LINE BREAK**

Mansell had been absently scrolling through his phone when he saw Tom stagger out of the building. He had blood covering his face and was heading straight towards the car. Jumping out, Mansell walked up to him but before he could say anything Tom spoke. "I want you to arrest me. Please."

**Hope you enjoyed please review. Either the next chapter or the one after that will involve the people that attacked Kent :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Tom had no idea what possessed him to tell the DC to arrest him but something had and now he was sitting in a police cell for the second time that week. Sighing in frustration, Tom could feel the guilt pooling over. What hell had he been thinking? Tom knew he shouldn't have blamed Lewis and Emerson for all this crap. It had been his fault but he'd been so angry Tom had just let it get the better of him. And because of his stupidity Emerson was hurt. Again.

**LINE BREAK**

When Mansell had brought Tom in, Chandler hadn't known what to think. The other DC had run over what Tom had told him on the drive to the police station. Which actually wasn't a lot, except for hysterical rambling which didn't make much sense. Taking out the tiger balm, the DI started to rub his fingers to his temples.

"Joe?" Ed asked, walking into the office and taking a seat. The other man dumped a case file onto Chandler's desk.

"What is it Ed?" Chandler knew he shouldn't take his frustration out on Buchan but he couldn't help the slight edge that came into his voice.

Ignoring it, Ed started to talk. "I've found a case in the archives that is similar to this one. A man borrowed money from the Russian mafia in the 1920's and a friend of his was attacked."

"Not mistaken identity." Chandler interrupted.

Shaking his head Buchan defensively said. "No, but in this case the police wasted time on the man borrowing money that they managed to get the friend killed." Raising himself up in his seat slightly, Chandler motioned for Ed to continue. "Well, it comes to my attention that the same thing is happening with this case. You've focused your attention on Tom, not on the men who attacked young Kent."

Chandler had nothing to say to this. It was true they had focused more on the three flat mates than they should have but it didn't help that they'd lied. "One Week." While Chandler had known the team had a deadline before these people attacked Emerson, or Tom, again the Di hadn't thought about until this point. One week was tomorrow.

"Thanks Ed." Chandler stated, standing to his feet and walking into the main part of the incident room. Miles was stood next to Riley, watching the CTV footage, while Mansell was doing paperwork on his desk.

"Right." Chandler said to the room, getting their attention. "We need to focus our energy on finding these men."

"What about Tom Andrews, sir?" Miles asked. "He wants to confess."

"Tom Andrews isn't the concern. The group that attacked Kent gave a deadline for their money to be returned. One week. That's tomorrow. So we have one day to catch these men."

It was Riley that voiced what was on all their minds. "What happens if we can't find them?"

Chandler hesitated for a moment, but Miles answered the question as soon as it was asked. "We have officers posted outside the flat day and night. If we can't catch them before then, we will be there tomorrow night to arrest them." In other words if they couldn't catch the group, which seemed highly unlikely, Kent and Lewis were going to be bait.

**LINE BREAK**

It was 10 that night before Chandler ordered the team to go home. He could see that they were all flagging under the pressure but still they hadn't found anything. "You going home?" Miles asked, as soon as Mansell and Riley finally left their desks.

"We aren't going to be able to find them in time."

"Then we catch them in the act." The DS countered.

"What if we miss them?" There was no disguising the doubt in Chandler's voice.

"We won't." Miles stated, more firmly this time. "Go home. Get some sleep. It'll be a long day tomorrow." Chandler hesitantly nodded, getting to his feet and following his DS out of the incident room and into the car park.

Chandler didn't go home though, instead he found himself driving aimlessly around Whitechapel. The streets were oddly quiet for this time of night but Chandler decided he liked the peace and quiet. It gave him time to think about the case. They…no he had made a mistake. Chandler knew he shouldn't have allowed Tom Andrews to have distracted him from finding these men. He should have been able to get the information he needed quicker than he had. But instead he had only just gotten the full picture and still he couldn't fill all the blanks in. It didn't surprise him the slightest when he found he'd stopped outside of Kent's flat.

**LINE BREAK**

Lewis started at the sound of knocking at the flat door. He'd been nervously walking through the flat ever since he'd persuaded Emerson to get some sleep. At first his friend had resisted, not even looking him in the eyes but eventually Emerson had nodded, allowing Lewis to guide him into his bedroom.

The guilt was eating away at Lewis slowly but surely. Already, he'd cleaned the flat, something he never did. The TV was playing in the background but Lewis wasn't watching it. Only staring into space as if a cure for his guilt would magically appear from think air.

"Hi?" Lewis murmured confused at finding Emerson's boss standing on the doorstep. "Can I help you?"

Chandler looked just as nervous but he hid it better. "Can I come in?" Nodding, Lewis stepped aside for Chandler to come in.

"Is it Tom?" Lewis asked as soon as Chandler took a seat.

"No, he asked to be arrested a few hours ago…"

Lewis cut the Di off. "What?" His voice was raised.

"That's not why I came here." Chandler stated, unsure why he had come here in the first place actually. "Is Kent here?"

"Yeah he's sleeping." The guilty look that crossed Lewis' face didn't go unnoticed by Chandler but he decided to ignore it. "I can pass on a message."

Sighing, Chandler reached to his wrist, then remembering the rubber band had snapped and instead played with his sleeve cuffs. "I need to ask you not to leave the flat tomorrow."

"Why?" Lewis interrupted once more.

"It's not something I can discuss fully with you but I would ask you keep the locks on the door and not let anyone in."

"Does this have something to with the men that attacked Kent?" Chandler didn't need to answer, his grimace gave him away. "You haven't caught them yet."

"No, but we believe they may try again tomorrow and we would like you to be safe." Lewis nodded, looking ready to argue with the DI.

Instead he said. "Is that it?" Chandler nodded, surprise at the lack of surprise. But then again Kent would have told his friends what had happened and unlike the team, they wouldn't have forgotten the deadline. Chandler couldn't help but feel ashamed at this. "Then I'll ask you to leave." Lewis stated, standing up. Chandler nodded as he was shown to the door. Before he could say anything else, Lewis slammed the door in his face.

**Once more another filler chapter, though next chapter will have a lot more action in it. Promise. As always please review and tell me what you thought thanks :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Emerson was lying in bed, listening to what Lewis and Chandler were saying. He heard it but it didn't seem to register. Kent felt like he was floating outside of his body. Everything that had happened in the past week just didn't feel like it was happening to him anymore. The only thing that was even remotely real was the pain.

There was a constant knocking in Emerson's skull which just wouldn't leave. Every time he moved, even slightly, the world seemed to spin in a hundred directions. Then there was the pain in his ribs. After moving even a little Kent's ribs seemed to hurt even more. A white hot pain was what Kent felt constantly. Sure it had left a little, when he took the pills or after he'd come back from the hospital but the stress was making it worse.

Kent just couldn't understand how things had gotten so bad. The beating had been fine compared to this. He'd never thought that this could have happened but it had. And now what where they supposed to do. All their secrets where out in the open for everyone to see and Emerson felt the guilt gnawing at his insides.

Tom wanted to be arrested. That was his fault. More than Lewis. Lewis wasn't the one that got attacked. Wasn't the one that got drugged. And here he was meant to be the police. Small pricks of tears where forming in Emerson's eyes but he pushed them away.

A door slammed in the background, dragging Kent back to his thoughts. There was a moment of silence before his bedroom door creaked open. Shutting his eyes, Kent made his haggard breathing even out. He didn't want to talk. Didn't want another confrontation. A sigh of relief followed the closing of the door just as the young DC's thoughts turned ever more darker.

The guilt. The pain. The fact it was all his fault. That he couldn't handle the situation. And Emerson Kent let the tears silently fall down his face, as the red hot pain built up inside him and he started to slowly drown in the guilt flooding him.

**NEXT DAY**

"Nothing?" Riley said as 5'o' clock turned around. Chandler sighed in frustration. He couldn't get the conversation he'd had with Lewis the day before out of his head. The younger man hadn't blamed him exactly but it was obvious he did. Blamed him for wasting time. Precious time. They should have found the attackers by now.

"We going then?" Miles asked, grabbing his jacket before Chandler even nodded. It wasn't like they had much of a choice. They wouldn't find the attackers any more sitting in the office. They would have to wait.

"Mansell and Riley, you should take the back street. Me and Miles will take the front. No one enters that building without a solid reason." Chandler told them, following Miles out of the door.

The car ride to the flat was in silence. Chandler was focused on the road and Miles' thoughts had drifted. The DS couldn't shake the feeling that they'd failed Kent. If it had been any one else on the team, Miles knew they would have given the case 110% so why had this been different.

Of course the lies hadn't helped but the team shouldn't have let themselves get so involved with them. They should have gotten justice by now but instead they were going to have to put Kent's and Lewis' life in possible danger just to get a result.

**LINE BREAK**

"Do you want anything?" Lewis asked as Emerson walked out of his room. Emerson only shrugged in response, waking into the kitchen. Looking out of the window he saw the car outside of their flat.

The two fell in an awkward silence as Kent grabbed a cup and made tea. "Do you want any?" Emerson's voice was quiet, almost dead. Shrugging, Lewis tried to think of the best way he could raise the subject. Ever since the incident the day before Emerson had avoided him completely. Whenever the younger man came out of his room he'd been silent and hunched over. Kent seemed like he was in a lot of pain.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine." Kent's reply, just like the other times, was curt and a complete lie.

"No you're not." Choosing to ignore his friend, Emerson took a pain killer out the packet and swallowed it. "When was the last time you took one?"

"'Bout an hour ago." Kent shrugged, leaning against the kitchen cabinet so to give his head a chance to stop spinning.

"Your meant to wait 4 hours." Lewis argued, not liking the way Emerson was acting.

"Does it matter?" Lewis stared at Kent incredulously.

"Of course it bloody does." Lewis was about to carry on talking when a small crease of pain appeared on Kent's face. Not wanting to cause Emerson any more pain, Lewis quickly changed the subject. "When do you think Tom'll be back?" Stupid, he thought to himself as he watched the guilt flash briefly in Emerson's eyes.

"I'm gonna go talk to them tomorrow." The guilt was bubbling up again after Lewis had said this, but Kent tried to keep it down. Turning back to his room, Emerson expected Lewis to carry on talking. When he didn't he opened the door and closed it after himself.

**LINE BREAK**

"It's been 2 hours." The DS stated to Chandler, who was sitting in the front seat. They'd been watching the building and had only seen a few people walking in and out of it.

"I know." Chandler murmured annoyance in his voice. This stakeout would be a waste of time if the group that attacked Kent didn't even show up.

Riley and Mansell hadn't had any more luck than the DC and DS. Both had been sitting, watching the backs as it grew steadily darker. "We're never going to see anyone walking up there." Mansell complained as the street lights flickered on. They barely lit up the street the car was parked on, let alone the back entrance of the building.

"We'll just have to keep a closer eye on it." Riley stated as she squinted in the darkness, trying to make out the door. "Anyway, anyone who wants to get to the door will have to walk up the street. We'll see them then." Mansell huffed in reply as the two settled back into silence.

**LINE BREAK**

The sound of the TV being switched off, alerted Kent to the time. It was nearly midnight, meaning Lewis would be heading to bed. Kent had been sat in his own room, thinking. Not really a good thing. The pain in his head was becoming a constant pain that the pain killers didn't even budge.

To stop Lewis from seeing, Emerson had taken the pills into his room and had been taking one, practically every hour, if not less. Now he was dozy and light headed but still the pain was there. It didn't help that all he could do was think.

Think of the night he was attacked. Think of yesterday and the argument. Think of the night he'd taken those drugs. All those thoughts, memories and feelings where swirling around his head. Pain. Guilt. And fear. He was scared.

After he'd gotten out of the hospital Kent hadn't thought about what might happen when those men came back. He'd thought the team would have caught them before anything else happened. Except they hadn't and now those men could come back at any point. And now he had the guilt of Tom sitting in a police cell to worry about as well.

Sighing in frustration as his head thumped wildly, Kent went for the box. It was empty. Standing on wobbling feet, he made his way into the kitchen. It was quiet, Lewis having gone o bed. Emerson didn't even bother with the lights, instead stumbling along the room.

When he entered the walk in kitchen, he fumbled for the light switch, instantly being blinded by the sudden brightness of the light. Stumbling forwards, Kent caught himself before he fell over on the table. He must have made some sort of noise because Lewis instantly appeared in the doorway.

"What are you doing?" Emerson looked up, seeing two Lewis' standing in front of him.

Trying to focus enough to answer Lewis, Emerson said. "I needed a drink." His voice was mumbled as a sudden pain shot through his ribs as he raised himself to grab a glass from the cupboard. A hiss of pain escaped him as he sat on one of the kitchen chair.

Lewis seemed to have snapped straight out of it, rushing over to Kent and asking what was wrong. Neither noticed the door opening from behind them.

**LINE BREAK**

A figure moved silently up to the front door. After seeing the police cars in front of the flat all day They'd had to cut down to just one man going into the flat. This man almost felt sorry for the idiot that wasn't paying up. Tom Andrews had no idea what he up against.

The key he had was given to them by Tom himself. At least one of Tom's dealers had pickpocketed his key from him when the kid was drugged up. The drug dealer worked for this figures boss also, meaning that the man in charge could access Tom Andrews flat at any time. Even if he'd never met the man before.

Smiling, the figure grinned despite himself as the unsuspecting police men sat in their cars as he opened the door to the flat.

Two men where sat at the kitchen table, not having noticed the figure standing at the door. The one they'd attacked before, Tom Andrews, seemed to be in pain and although facing the door and the figure hadn't noticed him. The other one, one of Tom's flatmates either Lewis Brooklyn or Emerson Kent, was sat talking to Tom.

Grinning the figure brought out the gun. Two shots. One scream. And all hell broke loose. The police men ran into the flat and the man had his arms pinned behind his back.

**Not sure about the last part but hopefully makes sense. As always hope you enjoyed and please review thanks :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Dr Llewellyn sent Chandler and Miles a sympathetic look as she climbed to her feet. "I'm sorry." She told them.

"This shouldn't have happened." Chandler murmured, he'd washed his hands over and over again in the small bathroom just off the bedroom in the flat.

"We caught the suspect." Miles said, trying to make the best of the situation. Chandler only shook his head. This wasn't right. None of them could deny it. That man shouldn't have been allowed to get through to the flat.

Chandler looked down at the staring eyes of Lewis Brooklyn. Blood was drying on his forehead where the bullet had hit him. He'd died on impact. One of the neighbours downstairs had heard the shout form Kent when Lewis had been shot. Then he too had been shot. Luckily the bullet had only hit him in the stomach but if it wasn't for the quick reaction of the team the young DC would most certainly be dead by now.

Mansell had gone and taken charge of the house to house while Riley had gone with Kent to hospital. This was all a mess. A complete and utter mess. Chandler didn't think he'd ever get the image of young Kent lying unconscious and pale in his arms, bleeding out. The blood had soaked thought Chandlers hands, making him think that the blood was constantly their now. Some of it had soaked onto his shirt but he didn't notice. All he saw was red on his hands and pooled on the floor. Red everywhere.

"Boss?" Miles asked concern in his voice. He was worried for the DI almost as much as Kent. The other man hadn't been prepared to see Kent like that, Miles had expected it as soon as the woman had run out of the building, shouting aobut the shout and the shot. But still the image of Kent covered in blood was shocking. As guilty as it made Miles feel, the older DS couldn't help but feel glad it wasn't Kent who was dead. He didn't think any of the team would be able to get over that. But Kent might still die. It was a fleeting thought but a true one. The kid could still die.

"I'm fine." Chandler stated, listening as Dr Llewellyn listed the injuries done to the young man lying dead on the floor.

**LINE BREAK**

"How is he?" Riley asked the minute the Doctor walked out of the surgery room.

"The bullet hit his stomach and while he has lost a lot of blood he should be fine with a few days' rest." Riley sighed in relief before the Doctor continued to talk. "However, Emerson had taken a large amount of pain killers and the concussion he had previously should have been gone by now but it seems to have gotten worse."

"What does that mean?" Riley asked.

"It shouldn't be too serious but he'll be very confused and a great deal of pain when he wakes up, which should be in an hour or so. Is there any family we can contact?"

"His sister, I'll call her." Riley replied as the Doctor walked down the corridor. Taking out her phone she called Erica and explained what had happened. She said she'd be there in an hour or so but Riley didn't feel conformable leaving Kent alone for that time.

Walking into the hospital room she sat down on the chair, feeling the guilt well up as she watched Kent's small, pale figure lie still on the white hospital sheets.

**LINE BREAK**

"State your name for the tape." Chandler stated as he watched the suspect fiddle with his hands on his laps.

"Jeremy Spike." The man answered, tauntingly.

"Is this your gun?" Chandler asked, placing the gun used to kill Lewis and shoot Kent on the table.

"No comment." Jeremy replied.

"Why where you in that flat?" Chandler knew the answer before Jeremy even spoke.

"No comment."

Frustrated, Miles angrily asked "Did you kill Lewis Brooklyn?"

"No comment." Jeremy said, with menace in his voice.

Sighing in utter frustration, Chandler asked "Why did you shoot Emerson Kent?"

Jeremy's face took a turn then. "I didn't shoot Emerson Kent."

"No, you thought he was Tom Andrews didn't you?" Miles growled at the man, who looked at the two men in shock.

Glancing at the brief who nodded at Jeremy he started to talk. "I'm not admitting to anything but those two in that room where Tom Andrews and Lewis Brooklyn. Emerson Kent wasn't there."

"No." Chandler interrupted, staring fully in the face of the man in front of him. "You thought that Emerson Kent was Tom Andrews. You got the wrong man?"

"Shit." Jeremy breathed under his breathe. "The boss said that was Tom."

"Who's your boss?" Miles asked, picking up on the slip.

"No comment."

Both the DS and Di sighed as Jeremy reverted back to this. "We'll have your file soon enough. Then it's only a matter of time. You killed a man and you will go to prison for it but if you tell us the name of the man who ordered this, it will look favourably on you in court." Chandler told him.

Jeremy seemed to consider this but shook his head. Knowing that they'd get nothing more on the man, Chandler ended the interview.

**LINE BREAK**

Tom sat in utter shock after DC Mansell had told him what had happened. Lewis was dead. Emerson was in the hospital. How could that have happened? Tom had never thought what his actions might cause but here they were. His actions had caused this. Tom had good as murdered one of his best friends.

Not knowing what else to do, Tom let the tears come free, punching the walls of his cell as he did. He didn't even notice when a police officer came in, telling him to stop it. All he noticed was the pain in his fists as he thumped the walls. Only the pain wasn't nearly as painful as the guilt. The guilt that he was the cause of all of this.

**LINE BREAK**

Emerson's head was buzzing with what he had seen. The shot had been fired before either of them had even noticed. One shot and Lewis was dead. Then a pain in his stomach but all he could think of was Lewis lying dead on the floor with a hole in his forehead.

Tears where falling down his face as he lay in the hospital bed. Erica was murmuring words of comfort to him but Emerson didn't hear any of them. All he could think of was Lewis. Lewis dead. Kent didn't think he would ever get that image out of his head.

**LINE BREAK**

"Sir, the files in." Mansell shouted through the office door, where Chandler was sat at the desk sorting pins.

"And?"

Everyone in the incident room had stopped what they were doing to listen. "Jeremy Spike has been arrested a few times for assault and has been linked with a gang. This gang's part of drug dealing, loaning, prostitution."

"And the guy in charge?" Chandler asked.

Taking the file from Mansell, Miles continued. "This guy's been charged but nothing ever sticks on him. All the rest of the gang members take the fall, he never gets his hands dirty apparently. Or if he does there's never any evidence. His names Seth Collat."

"Bring him in."

"On what, we have no evidence." Miles told the DI.

"The find something." Chandler could feel his temper loosening. They'd found the man finally who was responsible for this but Chandler couldn't help but think they would have found him sooner. If only they'd looked properly then maybe Lewis wouldn't be dead and Kent wouldn't be in the hospital.

**Not sure about this chapter but thanks for reading and please review. **


	16. Chapter 16

"Who?" Tom asked as he sat in front of DI Chandler and DS Miles in the police interview room. He was still in a daze when they had brought him in there.

"Seth Collat." Miles stated, speaking more gently than he had previously done. Then again Tom hadn't looked like he did now. The kid looked completely defeated after hearing the news of Lewis' death.

Tom shook his head. "What was the name of your dealer then?" Chandler asked, knowing that Tom would have most likely had had gotten his drugs from someone who worked for Seth Collat.

"How could they have thought Em was me?" Tom asked.

"We're still not sure on that but we need a name, then you'll have your answers." Chandler reassured him.

Nodding Tom said, "His name was Daniel Clark. Is Emerson alright? And what about Lewis' family, are they taking it alright?"

Miles looked at the younger man sympathetically. "Kent will be out of the hospital in a few days and we have an officer with Lewis' family." Tom nodded as Miles continued. "Where did you got to meet this man?" Tom gave them a name of a dodgy sounding nightclub in answer.

"Which brings us to another matter, we're letting you go." Chandler told the younger man.

"Why?"

"Because there are no charges against you." Tom didn't look as happy as the DI had expected him to be but then again he had just lost his friend. "We'd ask you to tell us anything now that might help us catching this man."

Tom shook his head in answer. "Alright, well if you think of anything else, you need to tell us." Miles said, leading the younger man out of the interview room.

**LINE BREAK**

Emerson didn't know what brought him back to the flat but he was standing outside of it. The Doctors had discouraged him about discharging himself but Kent had had enough of hospitals to last a life time. Erica had taken him straight back to her house, before she left for work.

It hadn't taken long for Emerson to decide that he wanted out of the place. Not even paying attention to where he was going, Kent found himself standing outside his flat. The police tape was on the front door but no one was there.

The sound of footsteps alerted Kent to someone walking up the stairs. Quickly turning around, Emerson came face to face with Tom. "Hey." Tom said, which Emerson replied half-heartedly. "You look like shit." Tom joked, though his tone held n undertone of misery.

Kent let out a small laugh. "So do you."

"Well a few nights in a police cell will do that to you." Tom grinned back before they both turned back to the flat. "Want to get out of here?" Emerson nodded.

The two of them ended up in a small café, nursing cups of coffee. "What happened?" Tom asked, nervously.

Emerson lifted his gaze from his coffee to meet Tom's eye. "Lewis was shot." This was said with no emotion at all. Looking in Emerson's eyes, Tom saw a dead, defeated look in his eyes. "The guy was aiming at me. It was just by chance he missed."

"But the bullet was meant for me." Tom interrupted. "You're not to blame. I am. And I'm sorry." When Kent said nothing in reply, Tom continued. "Really, I never meant for any of this to happen and I wish Lewis hadn't gotten killed. It's my fault. All of this. If I hadn't been so stupid."

"No, you should have been able to come to us." Emerson interrupted. "We should have been able to help then maybe none of this would have happened."

"We're not arguing about whose to blame." Tom raged, grinning back at Kent. "When's the funeral?"

"The police need to keep the…the body until they finish the post-mortem and get all of the evidence before they can…" At this Kent trailed off.

"You know better than me what they need to do."

Emerson turned his gaze, which had wondered back to the coffee in his hands, back to Tom. "You have anywhere to stay?"

Shrugging, Tom answered. "I was gonna go back to the flat but just being there, I know it must be worse for you but it's…I don't want to be there."

"I can ask Erica if she'll let you stay." Tom shook his head.

"Thought I'd visit my Mum, she's been wanting a visit for a while now." Kent nodded in understanding. Neither said anything after this, falling into conformation silence.

**LINE BREAK**

The nightclub that Tom had told them about was as dingy as you could get. There were drunk teens, barley legal drinking age, standing outside smoking. Chandler pushed the feeling of his OCD down as he and the team went into the nightclub. "Remember, we just need to find Daniel Clark and bring him in." Chandler stated.

Riley was the one who found the drug dealer, who was higher than most of his customers. Signalling to the others, she escorting the man outside of the club arresting him on the charge of drug dealing. The man, she'd guess, was about Kent's age and was fidgeting with his sleeve, obviously wanting another fix.

**LINE BREAK**

"Do you know a man named Seth Collat?" Chandler asked once to the young man sitting in front of him. After being cleaned and sobered up, the DI couldn't help but feel sorry for the younger man sitting opposite him.

When Daniel Clark didn't reply, Miles said, "You don't look like the sort of kid that would do well in prison. If you give us the information we're asking for it might look more favourably on you in court."

It took Chandler to explain that the evidence being given against Sam Clark was enough for him to get at least 10 years for the kid to start talking. And when he finally did, it was like he wouldn't shut up.

He told them that he'd told Seth Collat about all his customers and that Mr Collat was interested in the ones that had trouble paying the money. That was how he found out about Tom. Sam had had to introduce the loan shark, Adam, to Tom. When Tom hadn't paid the money back, Seth Collat had gotten angry and had Sam pick pocket the keys from Tom, with the address. The reason that Kent had been mistaken for Tom was because Seth Collat had never actually met Tom Andrews, only heard about him.

By the morning the next day Seth Collat was in police custody and being charged.

**I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint as I tried to tie up all the loose ends up here seeing as I don't see this story going much further. The next chapter should be the last so please review and tell me what you think and if there anything in particular you still want added. **


	17. Chapter 17

The call came the day after it happened. Seth Collat had killed himself in his cell, hanged with a belt. Emerson couldn't bring himself to care though. Why should he? This best friend was dead. Kent didn't know what else to think anymore. He needed to get back to work, needed to concentrate on something other than the memories swirling around in his mind. But he couldn't. Not yet at least.

Lewis' funeral was the next week. That was what he needed to get through before he could even think about going back to the station.

**LINE BREAK**

When the funeral finally came around, it was a blur to Kent. Tom was there but neither he nor Kent could bring themselves to talk to one another. Both felt guilty about what happened to Lewis, both blaming themselves in some way.

Tom was guilty that it was he who had brought the killer to the door. Sure he hadn't realised what he had done but Tom couldn't help but think that if he'd known what had happened he still would have done it. Now he was going into rehab. After everything that had happened, it would be wrong not to.

Emerson on the other hand felt guilty because he knew that should have been him, not Lewis. He still didn't know how he had managed to get so lucky, except he didn't feel lucky. He felt guilty. Lewis would have still been alive if the shooter had only had a better aim.

**LINE BREAK**

A week after the funeral the Doctor's at the hospital finally cleared Kent to go back to work, even if they did make him go to talk to a psychiatrist first. She said he would be fine; he was just still in shock but that it was alright to talk about what happened.

Not feeling quite ready to go back yet, though, Kent asked for a few weeks holiday. They let him, of course.

Somehow Kent was able to get himself sorted in that time. He spent some time visiting his parents and sister. Then he bought a new fat. Both he and Tom had talked and decided that they'd sell the flat. It was unspoken between the two that they wouldn't be living together.

**LINE BREAK**

By the time that Kent came back to work he felt changed. A lot calmer than he had been for a while. Although nervous about what the others would say about what had happened, Kent walked into the incident room and still sat at his desk.

"Hey, how are you Emerson?" Meg asked, walking over to his desk.

"Fine." Kent replied, sending her a small smile. Nodding she walked back to her desk.

During that first week back the team was constantly asking him if was fine. Every time he said he was and each time he said it he started to believe it.

Yes Kent was changed after this. Everything about his life was changed. He and Toms till saw each other a few times, went out for a beer every week and that was good. Tom started to act more like the friend Emerson had known. Emerson missed his friend and the pain in his side still hurt sometimes. Yet, Kent couldn't' help but smile a lot more than he had. Having a friend die, nearly dying yourself, made Emerson feel more. More life.

**Right, short but I didn't want this to be too long so thank you for reading and reviewing and I really hope you liked this fic :)**


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